


Don't Say You Love Me

by orphan_account



Series: Love Me Sweet [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-18
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 16:21:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 43,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The summer between sophomore and junior year, Kurt was accepted for an internship in Paris. During the three months, he fell in love with a boy he could never be with. A year later, this same boy shows up and Kurt has to choose between the perfect boyfriend or the boy who makes him feel more alive than he’s ever felt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Kurt Hummel smiled softly as he stared up into the face of the sleeping boy whose chest he was currently lying on. He couldn’t help the expression on his face, even though he knew it was only mere hours until this perfect night would end. This part of his life was almost near an end and, though he didn’t want to, he had to return home. His summer in Paris was almost nothing but a memory.

His hand reached up to touch the other boy’s brunette hair, wanting to commit the silk feeling to memory without any distractions. If only this final night could last forever, he’d be the happiest boy in the world.

“Don’ touch th’ hair,” a sleepy voice slurred as the boy stirred, awakening from his deep sleep. “What time ‘s it?”

“Four,” Kurt answered as he pulled his hand back, a look of disappointment on his face at being interrupted. “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. You should get a few more hours.”

“I’m up now.” The boy’s piercing green eyes met Kurt’s grey, a small smile gracing his, in Kurt’s opinion, perfect face. “Need some help getting to sleep?”

“You’re insatiable,” Kurt laughed. The two boys shifted on the shared bed so they were both lying in a mirrored position, staring at each other. “I’m just thinking about how much I’m going to miss Paris and…”

“Kurt…” The boy’s tone held an annoyance that Kurt would probably never forget even if he wanted to. “We both agreed that-”

“That this was just a summer fling,” Kurt finished, rolling his eyes. “I know. You’re here and I’m in the states. You don’t have to remind me, Sebastian.”

Sebastian just smirked as he lunged forward, attacking Kurt’s mouth with his own. This was what he would miss most about his Paris summer. Nothing, not even his summer internship with Chanel, could compare to his adventures with this boy who had moved so he was straddling him.

If anyone would have mentioned six months ago that he would be in Paris with the boy of his dreams, Kurt would have laughed it off as a joke and walked away. Of course, when he’d put in his application for a summer internship, he never thought that he’d get it – it had just been a dream that his father suggested after the boy had come out to him. When he’d gotten the call, however, things began to look up. Even losing Regionals to Vocal Adrenaline couldn’t bring him down.

At the moment, though, the boy whose tongue was thrust into his mouth consumed his thoughts. For the next little while, he could forget that everything was about to come crashing down around him as soon as he stepped foot in Lima.

“Insatiable,” Kurt breathed as the other boy pulled away. He moved back so he was lying on Sebastian’s chest once again, though this time their fingers were entwined. “I wish I didn’t have to go back to the states.” Sebastian’s mouth opened to tell him off once again. “It’s not like that. I know our relationship was nothing more than friends with benefits. I just like the fact that I can show affection to a boy and not get called queer or fag.”

“Just show them that you’re better than them.” Kurt snorted at that statement. “I’m serious. Fight back and show them what I know you’re made of.” Kurt just nodded as he played with Sebastian’s fingers. “Now, I’ve got three hours before I have to take you to the airport and since we’re not doing anything fun, good night.”

Kurt just laughed as he continued to play with the boy’s fingers. Eventually, he could feel Sebastian’s breathing even out. His thoughts drifted back to the conversation they’d had the first morning after they’d hooked up.

*

__

“Thanks for the fuck,” Sebastian said as he pulled on his pants, sitting on the edge of Kurt’s bed. “We should do this again if we ever run into each other.”

Kurt’s face flushed at that as he lay on the bed, the covers just barely covering his hips. He wasn’t quite sure what to say in response to that. He’d just lost his virginity to another boy during his first night in Paris. None of this was normal and he had a feeling that none of it would be.

“Well, I’m in Paris all summer,” Kurt quietly said. “I-I really enjoyed last night.”

“Look…”

“Kurt,” the boy supplied, the blush still firmly in place.

Sebastian sighed before continuing. “Look, Kurt. I don’t do relationships. That’s why I go clubbing.”

“I know. I-I don’t want a relationship either. I just… I don’t know anyone in Paris and since you know where I’m staying, maybe you want to come over again?” At Sebastian’s look, his blush deepened even more so he was almost positive he looked like a tomato. “I didn’t mean like that. I meant… as a way to… you know.”

“Are you trying to tell me you want to be fuck buddies?” Kurt squeaked, hiding under the covers, which made the other boy laugh. The covers were pulled off of his head and the boy leaned in to brush his lips across Kurt’s. “Maybe we could work something out. No strings?”

“No strings.”

*

As Kurt lay in the dark room, staring at the wall, he couldn’t help but regret the decision he’d made. It wasn’t that he didn’t like spending time with Sebastian, but he’d slowly started to let his feelings get the better of him.

After that first night, the two had begun to see each other more; first being attached to the bed for hours at a time. But later, they had actually started going out and wandering around Paris. Every once in a while, Sebastian had pointed out a small store or something that he thought Kurt would enjoy.

Sebastian had been one of those boys like Puck, who would sleep with anyone and everyone, but unlike the giant boy in Ohio, the French boy only did it on his terms. It hadn’t skipped Kurt’s notice, though, that he had stopped going out and partying every night. In fact, they usually went out for a drink before going home together.

Getting out of the bed, he made his way over to his carry-on bag that he had sitting next to the door. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down the contacts to find the number that was listed under “Baise d’amis”, French for “Fuck Buddy”. His finger hovered over the button to delete the contact. He knew that he couldn’t call the number again, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t keep it, right? And Sebastian wouldn’t ever have to know.

He sighed as he turned his phone off before stuffing it back in his bag. He switched it for the digital camera his dad had bought him to take pictures for the memories. He’d taken a lot of pictures, but he’d noticed that he didn’t have one of Sebastian – the boy hated his picture being taken. This would be his last chance to do something he would get killed for if it was ever found out.

Taking a deep breath, he pointed the camera at the sleeping boy on the bed and pressed the shutter button, letting it flash. He froze in fear as Sebastian groaned before rolling over, pulling a pillow over his head to hide from the light.

Kurt couldn’t help but snicker at Sebastian’s reaction to the flash. That boy did not like getting up unless there was food, alcohol, or sex involved.

As he got ready to slip back into bed for an hour or two of sleep, something caught his eye. It was a leather band that had been tossed onto the dresser. It was a band that Sebastian had bought on one of their outings at a little corner shop. He knew that he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist as he slipped the band into his bag. Even if he didn’t have the courage to keep it, he could always ship it back and apologize, saying that it must’ve fallen into his bag.

Finally, after he was sure he wouldn’t have to rush when the alarm went off, the soon-to-be high school junior slid into bed, curling up with Sebastian. As much as he hated leaving, he knew that he absolutely had to.

Instead of worrying – he could do enough of that on the plane – he wrapped his arms around the boy and closed his eyes.


	2. One

It was a boring day in Lima, Ohio.

Well, maybe boring wasn’t quite the word to describe it. William McKinley High School was rehearsing for their performance of Westside Story. It was more like Kurt’s day was boring. Blaine had gone to Dalton to visit the Warblers for the second time in three days and he’d had to run lines so he couldn’t exactly go along with.

After rehearsal, Kurt had brushed off Rachel, making the excuse of meeting Blaine. It wasn’t really a lie – he was going to call and talk to him on the phone – but he just wanted some time alone. After losing the lead role to his boyfriend, Kurt had wanted some time alone to fume in private. He would never admit that he felt betrayed to anyone, but he’d pretty much lost any chance of having a good resume for NYADA.

Walking into the Lima Bean, he had only been planning on getting some coffee before going home to work on homework and maybe see if Max – a fellow intern from when he spent the summer in Paris – was on Skype. He just had to forget about everything for a little while and Max always helped with that.

“He doesn’t need to know.”

Kurt stopped just inside the door as he heard that voice and that comment. He would know that voice anywhere, even if it had been slightly higher just over a year ago. Not to mention it had that same tone of not caring who was hurt as long as they had a good time.

“I just never want to mess my thing up with him in any way.”

He stopped and stared at where his boyfriend was sitting with a Dalton student. This student, however, had a face that Kurt had hidden on a piece of photograph paper in the back of his closet. He still looked the same even after everything.

He walked towards the pair with a fake smile on his face as Blaine said, “He’s really great.”

“Who’s really great?”

Blaine looked like a deer in headlights. It was obvious he hadn’t been expecting Kurt to show up at the Lima Bean while he was still there with this other boy. Hell, Kurt hadn’t been expecting them there either.

“You,” Blaine finally said, seemingly getting over himself. Kurt’s eyes moved over to Sebastian as his smile disappeared and his eyes were harsh and calculating. It seemed that Sebastian was just as shocked because he was staring with a surprised look on his face. “We were just talking about you. Sebastian, this is Kurt, my boyfriend, who I was just-”

“Got it.”

“Wow. Wow.”

Kurt held out his hand, playing the roll of strangers perfectly. They weren’t supposed to know each other so he wouldn’t let down the wall he’d carefully constructed once he’d stepped foot in Lima and wasn’t in the comfort of his own room. As far as everyone knew, he was still a baby penguin and he was glad to keep it that way.

The two gripped hands before he said, “Pleasure.” Sebastian just nodded in response to the greeting. “And how do we know Sebastian?”

Blaine shook his head, obviously trying to figure out what to say.

“We met at Dalton.” The senior was impressed with Sebastian’s ability to jump in and save his boyfriend. He still had that smile that made Kurt’s legs become jello, only this time it wasn’t directed towards him. It was directed towards Blaine. “Was dying to meet Blaine. Those Warblers just wouldn’t shut up about him. Didn’t think he could live up to the hype, but as it turns out…”

“Yes, he’s even more impressive in the flesh.” Kurt faked a laugh as he pulled up his own chair and wrapped a possessive arm around Blaine’s own arm. He knew Sebastian’s games and he wouldn’t let his boyfriend get caught up in them.

“Hey, what are you guys doing tomorrow?” Sebastian wondered with a flirtatious smile gracing his lips. Kurt could only guess at what the other boy was thinking and it was not good.

“We’re rehearsing for the school musical,” Kurt answered, deciding to see if Sebastian would take the bait. As soon as he saw the smile become bigger, he knew it had worked. “And then we begin a rigorous skin sloughing regiment over the phone together.”

Sebastian looked taken aback, obviously not expecting that kind of an answer. “And as sexy as that sounds, let’s shake things up? I get you guys a couple of fake IDs and we head over the Scandals in West Lima.”

“Scandals?” Blaine was obviously taken aback, though Kurt didn’t bat an eye. “That-that’s the gay bar.”

Kurt had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at his boyfriend’s statement. He’d lived in Lima his entire life, of course he knew that Scandals was a gay bar. He had to admit, though, that he thought Sebastian would suggest a classier location than some rundown bar that looked as though it was meant for bikers.

“The last time I was there, I met the man of my dreams on the dance floor.”

Yep, that was definitely the same Sebastian from a year ago. Only, he’d gone back to being the arrogant flirt he was the last time Kurt met him. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to be able to go back to Paris and party at some club without having to worry about anything other than getting back to his apartment at a decent time.

“That’s so sweet. And are you two still together?”

“Sadly, no. We broke up about twenty minutes after we met.” Sebastian’s smile widened as he sat back. “Come on, guys, live a little.”

“We would love to, Sebastian,” Blaine finally spoke up with a look towards Kurt before turning to the boy across from the pair. “Thank you for the offer. That’s very nice of you, but that just isn’t our kind of thing.”

Sebastian nodded, turning his attention to Kurt. Kurt saw the spark in the other boy’s eyes and smiled as he turned to his boyfriend as he said, “Let’s do it.”

“What?”

To say that Blaine looked taken aback was an understatement. He’d never heard Kurt say that he wanted to go clubbing before, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to. It just proved that he’d kept up his end of the bargain.

“Yeah. I mean, we have a whole bunch of firsts to start crossing off our lists.” He turned his attention to the Dalton schoolboy. “We’re in.”

Take that, Sebastian, Kurt thought as he stared with a frown. He’d always regretted that he couldn’t show the other boy how much good a relationship could do, but he was going to now. If he wanted to cozy up to Blaine, Kurt would be right there to block all of his attempts.

“Great.”

“Great,” Blaine echoed.

Kurt just smiled between the two boys. They spent the next ten minutes planning out when they were going to meet up and how Sebastian was going to get the fake IDs to them. Ultimately, it ended with another meeting between Blaine and the other boy.

If there was one thing Kurt didn’t want, it was for the two boys to be alone together. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Blaine to make the right choices. In fact, it was more the fact that he wasn’t sure Sebastian’s true intention towards his boyfriend. Sebastian had always been flirtatious with anyone and everyone in Paris and he wasn’t sure if that had changed.

Once Sebastian said that he had to get back to Dalton, Kurt made the excuse of having homework that needed to be done. He made his way out to see Sebastian leaning against his car with that familiar sneer on his face.

Kurt would never have believed that he would ever see this boy again. This brought up emotions that he’d thought he had gotten over a long time ago when he’d met Blaine. He hadn’t even told Blaine about his summer in Paris and now there was a possibility that everything could come crashing down around him.

“If it isn’t the gay fashion intern,” Sebastian said as he pushed away from his car. “You’ve certainly become the domestic housewife.”

“What are you doing here, Sebastian?”

“Touchy.” He stepped up to Kurt so their faces were only inches apart. “Like I said, I met Blaine at Dalton. I definitely wasn’t expecting to see your gay face here.”

“Feeling’s mutual, Meerkat.” He took a step back, not quite sure that he wanted to interact with the boy. “Stay away from Blaine.”

“I don’t think so.” The Dalton boy looked at the public school boy with a flash in his eyes that looked so familiar. “How about we catch up tonight? You have been tested, right?”

“I’m not stupid, Sebastian. And I have homework I have to get done for tomorrow so I’m going to have to decline your offer.”

“Your funeral.”

With that, Sebastian slid into his Ferrari f130 and drove off, leaving Kurt standing in the parking lot alone.

He was stunned, absolutely stunned at that conversation. He remembered Sebastian being like that at the beginning of their summer, but as it progressed, it seemed like he became more human. Only, now he’d gone back to sleeping around and probably having multiple one-night stands.

Kurt tried to tell himself that he didn’t care. Tried to reason that he had just been too shocked at Sebastian’s offer and that he also had Blaine to worry about and didn’t need to keep an eye on the other boy. Unfortunately, a little voice in the back of his brain was screaming at him that Sebastian was his friend and he should at least make sure he didn’t get himself killed.

“Kurt?” Blaine’s voice came from behind him. He turned to see his boyfriend looking concerned. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Fine,” he scowled as he kicked his tire in anger. “I’ll see you later.”

*

By the time he got home, Kurt’s mood had gotten worse instead of better. He stormed up to his room and slammed the door shut, not bothering to lock it. He couldn’t believe that he let Sebastian of all people get to him. A year ago, he would have been able to deflect the insults and walk away feeling pretty good.

After turning on his computer, he stared at the picture frame on his desk that held a picture of himself with the other four interns in front of a large Chanel logo. A burst of anger suddenly came to him and the next thing he knew, the glass on the frame was smashed on the ground, shards of glass on the ground.

Bending down, Kurt picked up the frame, only to realize that there was something behind the picture. Ignoring the glass, he opened the back of the frame to have four pictures, each wallet-sized fall out. As he lay them on his desk, he realized that they were all pictures of himself and Sebastian that were candid – Sebastian would probably kill him if he ever found out.

The picture had been a present from Celeste, an extremely hyper blond girl who had become like a sister to him while they were in Paris together. They were still close, even though she was now going to university in Paris for fashion design and they rarely spoke anymore.

As soon as his computer had loaded Skype, the alert that someone was calling him popped up. Of course it was Max and he couldn’t think of someone he wanted to talk to more.

A screen popped up, showing a boy with black hair and hazel eyes. Kurt could see the dorm room behind him, which made him smile. Less than a year until he’d be on his own in New York.

“Hey, Kurtsie,” the boy said with a frown. “I hate to do this, but I have to run. I have a study date.”

“It’s fine,” Kurt assured the boy with a frown on his own appearing. “I’ll talk to you soon, Max.”

The screen disappeared as the other boy hung up.

So that’s it, Kurt thought as he knelt down to pick up the shards of glass. There was no one he could talk to considering most of his friends were on the other side of the world and time differences were a pain in the ass.

A sharp pain in his hand startled him out of his anger. He stared at the blood that flowed down his finger, a memory he’d locked away floating to the surface.

*

_“I’m so sorry.”_

_“It’s fine. It happens.”_

_Kurt stared up into the piercing green eyes of Sebastian, who had knelt down next to him. They were laying in Kurt and Max’s shared apartment with a now-smashed bottle of wine between them. They’d been drinking and were both a little tipsy, though still coherent._

_The wine bottle had been an accident on Kurt’s part when it slipped from his loosened grip and shattered on the ground. They were now picking up the glass so they wouldn’t step on it and end up with an infected cut on their foot._

_The American boy flinched as his hand was sliced and blood dripped onto the carpet. He just stared at the slice in his palm as if it was something to be awed at. He wasn’t sure why, but there was just something about the pain that made him revel in it._

_A hand gripped his own, as a cloth was pressed to the cut, causing the boy to hiss in pain. He looked up at the other boy’s concerned gaze, trying to figure out what was happening. He’d never seen Sebastian look anything other than cocky except for when they were in bed together and he was asleep._

_“It looks like you need stitches,” Sebastian’s melodious voice said. “Where are your sewing needles and some thread?”_

_“I’m not letting you stitch up my hand.”_

_“It’s either that or you go to the ER and get kicked out of your internship for drinking.”_

_Whether it was the haze or the fact that Sebastian’s words actually made sense, Kurt directed him to where his supplies were. He sat and watched as the other boy poured whiskey onto his open wound before beginning to stitch the skin back together. It wasn’t a professional job, but it would work and Kurt wouldn’t have to admit to drinking._

_“Thanks,” Kurt mumbled as soon as Sebastian had cut the extra thread. “Should I be surprised that you know how to do that?”_

_“Don’t tear the stitches and you should be fine.” He kissed Kurt’s palm before his familiar smirk returned to his face. “Call me tomorrow after work. We can go to the club.”_

*

Kurt’s eyes moved to the faint scar on his palm. It was light enough that you couldn’t see it from a distance; yet still visible enough to remind Kurt of the first time he had seen Sebastian’s defenses go down, even if it was for no more than a moment.

How could he have gone back to that snarky boy who refused to show what he was really thinking? Had he really changed during that summer or had it all been a ploy to get something from Kurt?


	3. Two

Kurt frowned as he stared at the ID in his hand. From what he was seeing, Sebastian definitely had not had time to find a good con artist in Ohio. His other fake ID was already in his wallet and waiting to be put to good use – the one he’d gotten while in Paris was much better and he’d actually used it once to help Puck get some alcohol so he knew it was good.

“They’ll work,” Blaine assured the boy as he slipped the fake ID behind the one he had been using for the past year.

This probably wasn’t the best idea Kurt had had. He knew that he should have called Celeste – time differences be damned – or at least sent Max or one of the others a text telling them that he was going out with Sebastian. They knew how to talk him out of stupid ideas that involved Sebastian and probably losing his sanity along with those ideas.

As they walked up to the bouncer, Kurt pulled out his ID and smiled at the man holding the flashlight. He was just given one look before being let in and told that it was Drag Queen Wednesday.

“It’s not very scandalous.”

As much as he didn’t want to deny it, Blaine was right. It wasn’t scandalous in the slightest, though there were some interesting drag queens roaming around the bar. If this was where Sebastian was spending his nights, maybe he did have to keep the boy alive for his own good.

They both spotted Sebastian in his blue and green striped V-neck with the collar popped. He definitely didn’t look like he belonged, but neither did they so Kurt wasn’t going to say anything about it; at least not until they were out of the bar.

“I really don’t like that guy,” Kurt breathed.

“He’s harmless.”

“A beer for Blaine,” Sebastian said with a smile as he handed over a bottle to the junior. “And for Kurt, a Shirley Temple with extra cherries.” Kurt just sneered at him in annoyance. “I heard you’re the designated driver, like all the time.” Kurt took the glass with an annoyed look on his face. “Cheers, boys, to the glamorous life.”

As the two other boys clinked their glasses – beer bottle in Blaine’s case – Kurt just stared at Sebastian and said, “Who says I’m always the designated driver?” Blaine had the decency to look embarrassed, while Sebastian just smirked. “Fine. But I’m not driving you home, Sebastian.”

All right so that was a lie and, from the look in the Dalton student’s eyes, he knew it as well. Kurt would take him home if he were too intoxicated because he still cared for the other boy. They weren’t friends or even acquaintances that spent most nights together anymore, but he still cared for the other boy.

As he watched the two boys dance, he was almost positive Sebastian had completely lost his mind. If they wanted something more thrilling, they could spend the weekend in Columbus or Cleveland. This place was a rundown dump, but it was probably the best Sebastian could do on a school night.

“You’d better watch your boyfriend.”

Kurt turned in surprise to see Dave Karofsky sitting next to him and couldn’t help the small laugh that came out of his mouth. To see his old bully sitting in a gay bar was definitely a sight to behold. He’d never expected this, but he couldn’t say he was too surprised.

The two talked about Dave’s new life at school and just in general for a little while, which Kurt found to be more entertaining than watching Blaine dance with his ex-lover.

“Here’s to baby steps.”

“Baby steps,” Kurt agreed, taking a sip of his Shirley Temple. He glanced over to the dance floor with a slightly annoyed look on his face. “How did I get roped into this?”

“Into what?” Dave wondered.

“Playing designated driver. It was probably Sebastian’s stupid idea…”

“How do you know Sebastian?”

“It’s a long story,” Kurt sighed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go break up their party before Sebastian gets what he wants and I decide it’s finally time to castrate him.”

The next hour was spent on the dance floor and watching as the alcohol slowly took effect on his boyfriend. This really wasn’t what Kurt would call a good night, though it might have been more the fact that he was one hundred percent sober instead of slightly buzzed. If only Sebastian hadn’t been so eager to ensure he was the designated driver.

“This is the best night of my life,” Blaine stated as they walked – stumbled in Blaine’s case – out of the bar. “This is the best night of my life. I wanna live here. I wanna live here and I just wanna make art and help people.”

Kurt couldn’t help but laugh at the smell of Blaine’s breath, saying, “You can certainly help make fires with your breath.”

“Hey, come on, I only had one beer,” he insisted.

As Kurt opened up the door and told Blaine to lay down so he wouldn’t throw up, memories of doing the same thing with Sebastian popped into his head. Mainly it was when they got into a cab together and Sebastian lay his head on Kurt’s lap or one of the other interns had been designated driver and they both sat in the back.

Blaine suddenly did the most unexpected thing Kurt could think of and pulled him onto the seat with him. Maybe it was because it was Blaine or because he’d never expected anyone besides Sebastian to react like that, but he got scared and absolutely refused to let Blaine do anything.

“It’s all about us, right?”

“Right,” Kurt stated in anger as he climbed out of the car. “It’s about us. Which is why I don’t want to do it on a night that you spent half of dancing with another guy. And that you’re sober enough to remember it the next day.”

“Why are you yelling at me?”

He really asked that question? He really didn’t know why he was being yelled at?

“Because I’ve never felt less like being intimate with someone. And either you can’t tell or you just don’t care.” Blaine stood up and began to walk away from the car. “Where are you going?”

“I’m sorry if I’m trying to be spontaneous and fun. I think I’m just gonna walk home.”

“Blaine!” Kurt called after him.

As soon as the other boy was gone, Kurt slammed the car door shut and made his way back into the club to find Sebastian sitting at the bar and talking with some guy who looked twice his age. However, when the boy saw him walk in alone, he excused himself from the conversation and walked over.

“What happened?”

“Blaine wanted to have sex in the back of the car,” Kurt admitted, not shy about saying it out loud. “He decided that he was going to walk home after I refused him.”

“I seem to remember you liking the back of the car for such activities,” Sebastian muttered, playing with Kurt’s vest. “Why didn’t you do it? Too much of a born-again virgin?”

“Unlike some people, I would rather have my boyfriend able to remember it the next morning.” He sighed and looked at the bartender. “Can I get a beer?”

Sebastian just smirked as they took their seats at the bar. The pair sat in silence as Kurt nursed his beer. He had to admit that he’d missed the comfort of just sitting at a bar with someone he knew.

“My offer still stands,” Sebastian finally spoke after Kurt had finished the beer. “We can get back into our old routine and your extremely hot boyfriend doesn’t ever have to know.”

Kurt eyed the boy warily. He knew better than to trust this boy. “What’s the catch, Sebastian? There’s always a catch.”

“No catch. No strings. Just like last time.” Instead of answering, the high school senior just downed the rest of his bottle. “Easy there, Tiger.”

“It’s not Russian vodka, Sebastian,” Kurt muttered, rolling his eyes. “At least this stuff I can keep down.”

*

_“That is disgusting,” Kurt groaned as he slammed his shot glass down on the table in front of him. “What is that?”_

_“Russian Vodka.”_

_Kurt just moaned as Sebastian refilled the glass. With how hard the Russian alcohol was hitting him, he was sure there would be a huge hangover in the morning. The only reason he hadn’t stopped the other boy was because he had the next day off. Why spoil something if he was able to sleep all day?_

_“It’s like you’re trying to get me drunk,” Kurt said as he raised the shot glad in salute before downing it again and watching as the other boy did the same. “Don’t you like me as I am?”_

_“I want to see what happens when you get hit with the hard stuff.”_

_Kurt just giggled, already feeling himself leaving. Some small part of his brain was telling him that what he was doing was wrong, but he wanted to have fun. He needed to relax after being pulled into what was probably going to be the most stressful part of his summer._

_After the sixth shot, he put the glass down and stumbled to the other side of the table. He planted himself on Sebastian’s lap, smiling bashfully as his mouth found its way to Sebastian’s neck where, drunk or not, he knew exactly what made the other boy moan. His lips quirked in a smile as he continued to listen to Sebastian’s moans and whimpers._

_“God, you’re horny when you’re drunk,” Sebastian moaned as his hands slid under Kurt’s shirt. “Kurt…”_

_“Hey, Kurt, Bas.”_

_Kurt felt the other boy’s head lift up at the sound of their names, but he just continued on his task. He didn’t care who walked in on them or saw him claiming the French boy. Everyone knew that they spent most of their nights together at some club or they stayed in to have some fun of their own. They all knew not to be shocked by the physical aspects of what happened around the apartment._

_He hurt talking before the door opened and closed again. Presumably, it was Max, who had grabbed something before going to spend the night with Celeste and Olivia. If he were sober, Kurt would probably feel bad at the idea of his roommate spending more nights with the girls than in his own apartment. Only, he wasn’t sober, and his mind was more focused on the boy underneath him._

_“Let’s move this party into the bedroom,” Sebastian suggested, pulling Kurt away from him. The drunk boy pouted at being stopped. “Come on, drunk boy. You can have all the fun you want in there.”_

_Kurt stumbled into the bedroom, pulling his shirt and pants off immediately before getting on the bed. He sat on the edge, staring at Sebastian, who was chuckling at him. He just rolled his eyes and, as soon as the boy was close enough, pulled him on top of him with a grin._

_“You’re perfect,” he mumbled as he nuzzled his face against Sebastian’s neck. “I love you, Bas…”_

_What he said hadn’t clicked for him, but it apparently had for Sebastian. The boy pulled away with a frown on his face. He stared at Sebastian in confusion as the boy slowly backed away._

_“Bas?”_

_“I can’t.” Sebastian’s voice sounded like he was choking on something. “I have to go.”_

_“Bas, what-?”_

_The door shut before Kurt could finish his question. Tears filled his eyes as he curled his body around a pillow and closed his eyes._

*

Hearing a door slam shut, Kurt groaned, trying to burrow deeper in the bed. He had one hell of a hangover, now regretting having any alcohol at all. He could vaguely remember his fight with Blaine before going in and drinking himself silly with Sebastian. After his first two beers, he couldn’t really remember the rest of the night.

“Up,” a voice stated as the blankets and pillows were yanked from him. “I don’t care if you’re hung over.”

“Where am I?” Kurt groaned as he sat up. He looked around to see that he was in a dorm room with Sebastian smirking at him. “Oh god, tell me we didn’t…”

“No, Princess. We didn’t do anything.” He scowled at the smirking boy, when a bag was suddenly tossed at him. “You grabbed this before we came here. Your car is still at Scandals, by the way.”

Looking at the bag, a sigh escaped him. At least he’d been coherent enough to make certain he grabbed his spare set of clothes. He slid on his shirt, pants, and jacket with a small smile on his face.

“What did I say?” Kurt asked. “I know I can’t always control my mouth when I’m drunk.”

“Nothing that I haven’t heard before.” He sent another scowl at the schoolboy. “You’re still as horny as ever when you’re drunk. You also kept saying how much you hated being in a relationship.” Keys were tossed at him, which he barely caught. “No one touches my baby besides you. I’ll get one of the guys to take me to the Lima Bean after practice to pick her up.”

“You’re actually letting me drive your car?”

To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. Sebastian had always kept anyone and everyone from touching his baby. Only the best mechanics could even get near it without being murdered.

“You have two seconds to get out of my room or you can walk back to Lima.”

As soon as the two boys left the dorm room, Kurt froze in fear. Staring at him were Jeff and Nick, the only two boys from Dalton he was still friends with. Their emotions were ones of shock and something else that he couldn’t read.

“Hey Jeff, Nick,” Sebastian said with a smirk on his face.

“What’s going on?” Nick asked, staring at Kurt.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Kurt quickly said, trying to keep from stumbling over his words. “Blaine and I got into a fight last night. I went to a bar and got smashed. Sebastian made sure I didn’t get myself killed.” He watched as Nick’s eyebrow rose in question as if he didn’t believe it. “I should go. I’ll be lucky to get to school before lunch.”

“Kurt.” He looked at Sebastian, who tossed a water bottle and a bottle of aspirin his way. “Be careful, alright? I wouldn’t want to explain why you got yourself killed.”

“Thanks.”

With that, he took off towards the parking lot with a deep blush on his cheeks. If the boys told Blaine what they’d seen, he was almost positive he would never live it down. All he could do was pray that they really were his friends and they’d wait until he could give them a real explanation.


	4. Three

As soon as Kurt arrived at the school, he made sure that Sebastian’s car was parked where it wouldn’t come to any damage. He was more worried about Sebastian being upset about his car than he was about school, which he knew wasn’t a good thing. He also knew that he was falling harder than ever, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit it. He couldn’t let himself feel anything because he knew that was better than being hurt.

*

“Bas.” He saw the boy turn away from him, making him frown. He didn’t understand why Sebastian was avoiding him and he at least wanted an explanation. “Bas, whatever happened the other night, I’m sorry. Please don’t do this.”

Sebastian turned towards the boy with a scowl on his face. “You have a lot of nerve to talk to me. We agreed on the fact that there would be no strings and you go and pull something like that.”

“Bas, I don’t know what happened. All I remember is getting drunk with you at the apartment then waking up alone with tear stains and a massive hangover.”

It was true; he didn’t remember what had happened. Max had admitted that he’d shown up at the apartment and grabbed an overnight bag before leaving. He’d been told that they were having a make out session in the kitchen and he’d stayed out until five in the morning to find that Sebastian wasn’t there.

“You told me that you loved me.”

He froze in shock at that admission. Sure, he’d begun to feel some things for his friend that were more than friendly, but that was to be expected, right? They slept together most nights after all and had begun to go out and explore the town together whenever he had off from his internship.

“I don’t… You said that I’m overly emotional whenever I get drunk,” he reasoned with the boy. “Maybe it was just one of those more emotional times. We’re just friends, Bas. That’s not going to change.”

“You swear?” Kurt nodded in agreement. “Good, because I could never be involved with someone who’s clingy and wants a relationship.”

That last statement hurt so much for reasons Kurt couldn’t understand. He wanted a relationship, he always had, but Sebastian wasn’t a good guy to have one with. So why would he feel like his heart had just been ripped from his chest?

*

“Kurt.” He sat down next to Mercedes, who had a frown on her face. “What happened last night, Boo? Your dad called and I covered for you, but I’ve gotta know. What made you miss most of school?”

“I was in Westerville,” he admitted with a frown. “Blaine and I had a fight and a… friend let me spend the night.”

“You and Blaine got into a fight?” She paused for a moment. “What friend is this?”

“One of the Warblers.” That definitely wasn’t a lie; Sebastian had verified that he was, indeed a Warbler. The friend part, however, was still extremely hazy for him. “Thanks for covering for me, ‘Cedes. I owe you one.”

It was then that more members of New Directions and the Trouble Tones took their seats around the table. As soon as Kurt saw Blaine, though, his thoughts headed back towards Scandals. His reaction to their fight wasn’t the best and, had Sebastian not been there, he probably would have just gone home. However, Sebastian had been there and he had gotten smashed to the point where the other boy had decided that sex wasn’t an option.

“Alright,” Santana stated, looking between the two boys. “What the hell is going on with you two? And I better get an answer before I go Lima Heights on your asses.”

“Santana, can you shut up?” Everyone stared at Kurt in shock. He’d never sounded so defeated to them, even when he was getting picked on. “I have a migraine and you’re not helping.”

“Oh my god.” He looked at the Hispanic cheerleader with a scowl on his face. “You’ve got a hangover.”

That got everyone talking to the point where Kurt had to put his hands over his ears in the hope that he would shut them out. The aspirin he’d gotten from Sebastian wasn’t helping in the slightest. It was either some sick joke or his friends were just extremely loud and annoying.

I wanna li-li-li-lick you from your head to your toes  
And I wanna move from the bed down to the, to the flo’  
Then I wanna ah-ah you make it so good I don’t wanna leave  
But I gotta kn-kn-kn-know wh-what’s your Fanta-ta-sy

Kurt’s face flushed a deep candy apple red as he scrambled to grab his phone. He only knew one person who would ever put that Ludacris song as a ringtone. The only issue was that Kurt didn’t know when he’d put his number in. Probably when he was passed out drunk, he assumed.

“I’m going to take your car and drive it off a cliff.”

“I love you too, Kurtsie. I assume you and my baby are both in one piece?”

“Well, I can’t say for sure that your baby will be functional when I give it back. What the hell is it with that ringtone?”

“You know you love it. And I do want to lick you from your head to your toes, but you have to be a born again virgin with Blaine.”

“I’m not… you don’t know anything.”

“Obviously. Hey, I thought I was your only fuck buddy.”

“Is that why you were so upset this morning? Because you saw something on my phone? You know you’re my only baiser copain.”

“I wasn’t upset.”

“Yes, you were. The only time I’ve ever seen you like that was the Russian Vodka incident.” There was no reply on the other side, causing him to sigh. “Whatever I told you last night, you know I didn’t mean it.”

“So you don’t mean that you wish that your boyfriend wasn’t in the picture so you didn’t have to worry about playing at being a virgin?”

“I don’t… I mean… can we talk about this later?”

“I’ll see you at four.”

“Hey, baiser copain?”

“Yeah?”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Sounds good.”

Hanging up, Kurt looked around to see confusion on everyone’s face. Except, however, for Finn, who looked like he was torn between hitting him and hugging him tightly.

“So that was him?” Finn asked. “The guy from France you, Max, and the girls talk about during your calls?”

“Kurt knows a French guy?”

“When did this happen?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Yes, it’s the same guy,” Kurt stated, rolling his eyes. “How did you know, Finn?”

That was something he was extremely curious about. He knew that his stepbrother usually hung around during the Skype calls and flirted with Celeste, but he’d never actually come out and say that he’d been with a French guy.

“You three always call him bai… whatever. Or there’s Celeste, who calls him whatever male hooker is in French.”

“He’s not… exactly a male hooker.” That answer got a lot of raised eyebrows. So maybe he didn’t think when he said that, but when it came to Sebastian, there had never been a lot of thinking involved. “Yes, I’m in contact with an old acquaintance from last year. Yes, we refer to him as a male hooker. No, I am not involved with him.”

He wasn’t too sure that statement was accurate, but he couldn’t take it back. He wanted to be involved with Sebastian, but he also had Blaine and he couldn’t hurt his boyfriend. Hadn’t he always said that he wanted a real relationship instead of just sleeping around? Hadn’t that been the reasoning for the compromise of no strings?

The bell suddenly rang, saving Kurt from having to answer any more awkward questions. Deciding that nothing could be worse than having the Glee club interrogate him, he decided to run as fast as he could to French. The only problem he didn’t anticipate was the fact that Quinn was in the class with him.

“Quinn, Kurt,” Mademoiselle Petit said, getting his attention as she paired off students for a group project.

“Okay,” Quinn said, looking at the other singer. “Copain means buddy, but what the hell does Baiser mean?”

“Miss Fabray, I will not tolerate such language in my class.”

“But-” She frowned as she looked at Kurt with a scowl. “It means fuck buddy, doesn’t it?”

“Let me explain,” Kurt quietly said.

He explained about his internship and the boy he met in France. He explained how he had gotten into contact with the boy extremely recently and wasn’t sure what was going on. He admitted that he still felt attracted, but he wouldn’t cheat on Blaine.

“I won’t tell anyone as long as you stay away from that guy.”

Kurt agreed with a frown on his face, but the truth was he wasn’t sure he could stay away. Sebastian really was a good guy even if he did put up a wall against everyone. If anyone knew that, it was Kurt and the other interns.

*

Once classes were over for the day, Kurt made the excuse that he had to run home to grab some things. It was a lie, but not that far from the truth. He did have to go get the car from Scandals and he sort of was stopping at home – his dad’s shop had always been a second home to him with how often he was there.

“Please tell me you didn’t steal a car,” Burt said with a serious look as Kurt pulled the car into the garage.

“I didn’t steal the car,” Kurt replied, rolling his eyes. “Blaine and I went out with some boys from Dalton last night and one of them let me borrow their car for the day.”

“Then why is it here?”

“Thought I’d change the oil,” he admitted with a shrug as he walked over to the office where he kept his coveralls. “I mean, it’s the least I can do after he helped me last night.”

After he came out in coveralls and slid under the car to empty the oil, Burt stood by him and said, “About last night. I don’t mind if you stay with Mercedes, but I need a call.”

“Sorry, Dad,” Kurt apologized. “I promise I’ll call next time. Blaine and I got into a fight and she was closer than home.” His phone began vibrating and he was beyond glad that he had put the phone to vibrate. At least his dad didn’t have to hear the ringtone. “Hey, Bas.”

“Since when am I the Baiser Copain?”

“Shit. Sorry, Maxie, I was expecting someone else.”

“Obviously. So, when did you start talking to the Baiser Copain?”

“Two days ago. He’s in Ohio and we hung out last night.”

“So you’re back to being friends with nightly benefits? Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Yes I do. Bas and I are just acquaintances. He’s proposed the offer, but I haven’t taken it.”

“Heads up, Celeste and Lucas are coming to the states for two weeks soon and we’re heading to Ohio to visit for a couple of days.”

“I’ll make sure to keep him invisible to Celeste’s eyes.”

“Sorry about the other day. You were late and I had this major test coming up.”

“Not a big deal. I was going to ask, though, did you know Celeste sent me candid’s?”

“You just found those?”

“You knew?”

“Of course I knew. We all knew.”

Kurt sighed as stood up, wiping his hands on a towel as the phone was held firmly between his ear and his shoulder.

“Can you do me a favor and keep Celeste and Lucas from finding out about Bas? If Celeste finds out that you know, I’m never going to live it down.”

“I’m not stupid, Kurtsie. Celeste will kill me if I know.” There was a momentary silence that neither boy was breaking. “Just be careful, yeah? If you need anyone to knock some sense into you-”

“I’ll call you.”

“Kurt,” Burt spoke up, getting the boy’s attention. “You have some visitors.”

Kurt turned and stared in disbelief at the sight of Sebastian, Nick, and Jeff who were all staring at him with disbelieving looks of their own. What a sight he must be, wearing his coveralls and talking on the phone while working on a car.

“I’ve gotta go, Max. Let me know when you guys are planning to come down. The sooner I know how long I need to keep Celeste away from him, the better.”

“Will do. Talk to you later, Kurtsie. And tell your lover that he better watch his back.”

Kurt smiled as he hung up before slamming the hood down. He walked over to the Warblers, wiping his hands on the towel. He definitely wasn’t going to live this down and, if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to. This was a major part of his life and, though he might complain about it constantly, he wouldn’t change the shop for anything.

“What were you doing with my car?” Sebastian questioned as Kurt tossed the keys over. “If you did something to my baby, I-”

“Your oil light was on,” Kurt admitted with a shrug. “Don’t worry. No one has touched your baby besides me and I’m fully qualified to work on cars.” He smiled at the two other boys before feeling his dad’s eyes on his back. “Dad, this is Jeff, Nick, and Sebastian. I know them from Dalton.”

“Hello, Mr. Hummel,” Sebastian said with a smile as he held out his hand. “I’ve heard so much about you from Kurt. I’m Sebastian Smythe.”

“You related to Trevor Smythe?”

“He’s my dad, sir.”

Kurt looked on in utter disbelief at the fact that Sebastian’s cocky attitude had completely disappeared and he was putting on a perfect little angel act. He turned to the two other Warblers to see that they were just as surprised as he was. So this wasn’t normal for him. Just wait until he told Max and Celeste that he’d seen the party boy as a normal human being.

“Kurt?” He jumped in surprise at the boy’s voice calling his name. “We should be going. We don’t want you to miss call time.”

“I’ll see you after the show, Dad,” Kurt said with a smile as he got into the Ferrari with Sebastian. “What was that? I didn’t think you did parents.”

“I don’t, but I’ve learned when to suck up to people.”

The drive to West Lima was a quiet one, but comfortable. Something about sitting silently in a car like this seemed absolutely normal.

“So, you’re going to have to make yourself scarce,” Kurt finally spoke as they pulled into the parking lot. “Not right now, but Celeste and Lucas are coming to the states for a couple of days and I really don’t want to see your eyes get clawed out.”

“I can handle whatever your feisty kitten throws at me.” He put his car in park before unbuckling his seatbelt. He leaned over and, much to Kurt’s dismay placed a chaste kiss on the boy’s lips. “How about a little something for good luck before your show tonight?”

“Bas,” Kurt mumbled as he felt the other boy move so he was sitting on his lap. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Who is on the other side of town and doesn’t have to know anything. Who’s going to do anything about it anyways? The only ones who might have an idea aren’t in Ohio.”

Feeling Sebastian’s lips on his neck made him forget about everything. Nothing mattered other than the amazing feeling that were the small bites along his jaw line. He could feel that the idea wasn’t to give him a lasting mark, but to convince him that they should resume their old deal.

After a few minutes of him not moving, the other boy groaned and climbed off him with a scowl. He was still in a daze when he was told, “Fine. You want Blaine, then I guess I’ll just have to do what I do best.”

“Bas, this isn’t a challenge. I just don’t-”

“Taking your boyfriend from you will be half the fun.”

“Fuck you, Sebastian.”

“I keep offering and you keep refusing.”

With a scowl, Kurt got out of the car, slamming the door shut. All he could do now was go back to McKinley and show Sebastian that he wouldn’t let the comments get to him. He wasn’t going to let anyone get between himself and Blaine and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Sebastian win whatever little game he was playing.


	5. Four

The next couple of weeks, Kurt had to admit that he felt out of place. He couldn’t understand why, but something just didn’t feel right about his life. It could have possibly been the fact that doing West Side Story every night was tiring him out or that he had to deal with his friends’ continuous questions about this mysterious guy Kurt had spoken to.

He had a good idea that it was probably what had happened between himself and Blaine after opening night. They’d gone to Blaine’s house because his parents were gone for the weekend and he didn’t have a brother who also wanted an empty house to himself. They’d finally had sex and, as far as Blaine was aware, had given their virginity to each other.

He felt bad that he didn’t tell Blaine, but what could he do to fix it? He’d been tested after getting back from France and hadn’t slept with anyone since so it wasn’t like he was passing on STDs or anything like that. Maybe he should’ve called Max or even risked Celeste’s wrath, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He was currently sitting in the Lima Bean across from Blaine, filling out an application for the coffee house. He wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of having to think of working there if he didn’t get his NYADA letter. It wasn’t his only choice of higher education, but it was his first.

“Rachel and I may as well get used to a life of barista work and summer stock. There’s no way we’re getting into NYADA now. If we don’t win at Sectionals, I pretty much have nothing to live for.”

“New Directions is a mess.” For once, he could agree with his boyfriend. They had no set list and the competition was only days away. They were almost guaranteed a loss to The Trouble Tones. “We’re gonna lose, Kurt. And I can’t do anything about it. Every time I open my mouth, Finn gives me these looks like ‘what does he think he’s doing?’ I know what I’m doing.”

“Hey, guys.” Kurt couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Sebastian’s appearance. “How crazy. I’m sitting over there, checking out this guy and all of a sudden, I’m like, ‘wait a minute. I know that hair.’” His attention was fully focused on Blaine, who was shaking his head with a small chuckle. “What’s up, buddy? Haven’t seen you online.” Then, as a second thought, added, “Hi, Kurt.”

As Blaine talked about Glee Clubs, Kurt couldn’t help the annoyed look that was planted on his face. He could see the wheels turning in Sebastian’s head and could probably list off what moves he would be using on Blaine. This was the first time since the make out session in the car that they’d had any kind of contact, whatsoever.

Once Blaine got up, mumbling something about getting another coffee, Kurt turned his attention to Sebastian and demanded, “What is your angle? You’re going to sit in front of me and flirt with my boyfriend?”

“Let’s get a few things straight. Blaine's too good for you, New Directions is a joke, and one of us has a hard luck case of the 'gay face', and it ain't me. Odds are by the end of the school year, I'll have Blaine and a Nationals trophy, and you'll have khakis and a Lima Bean apron, and that gay face. “

“You smell like Craigslist.”

“You know you love the smell.”

“Bite me, meerkat.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Blaine chose then to show up, putting an end to the conversation. Kurt’s lips were twisted into a fake smile as Sebastian had his usual cocky smirk in his face. He was the only person who could look have a smirk on his face and not be embarrassed about offering sex.

*

_Kurt couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he walked into the office with Max. It was a good day and he couldn’t see anything ruining it. Sure, he’d woken up to an empty bed, but he knew that Sebastian had to leave extremely early so it really didn’t matter to him._

_“Someone’s happy,” Danielle quietly said as she caught up with them. “Have a good night with your boy?”_

_“Something just tells me this is going to be a good day.”_

_All morning, the smile was plastered across his face. Even when he was put on coffee run duty for the day, it didn’t deter his good attitude._

_When he got back from lunch, he was talking to Celeste about a possible movie night when the other interns came over to them. Apparently one of the top designers who never came into the office was coming in to speak with them about the industry._

_They went into the conference room, only to have Kurt stop short. Sitting next to the designer was none other than Sebastian. He had a scowl on his face and didn’t seem to want to be there at all. When he saw Kurt, however, he just raised an eyebrow in question, not saying anything._

_“Bonjour,” the woman said with a polite smile. “My name is Anna. I hope you don’t mind that I brought my son along.”_

_“Hello,” Sebastian said with a look of indifference as though he was meeting them for the first time. “I’m Sebastian. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”_

_Kurt could feel his friends all looking at him as the smile slipped off his face. He just walked over and took a seat at the table as he pulled out his notebook. He wouldn’t look at Sebastian. He wouldn’t watch how his lips quirked into a smirk whenever someone caught his eye. He would ignore the eyes staring straight into him._

*

Kurt stared at the screen of his phone, his finger just hovering above the call button as the numbers glared back at him. He wasn’t completely sure why he was doing this, but his nerves were so bad that he wasn’t sure anyone else could help. They had sectionals and this was the first time they’d be competing against their best friends and half the talent.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” a voice said, causing him to freeze. “You need a good luck kiss to make it better?”

He spun around to see Sebastian standing in front of him, the cocky smirk gone and a concerned expression taking its place. He gave a small smile as he moved forward and hesitated for only a moment before hugging the Warbler tightly. This was a bad idea, but he was desperate. He’d have to compare this to the fall fashion show that they’d helped out with.

As he breathed in the familiar scent of Dior’s Eau Sauvage and a slight hint of coffee, he realized how much he had relied on his friend in Paris. This boy had been able to, not only talk him into the craziest things – the ones that didn’t involve himself – but also calm him down when it mattered.

“We’re going to lose,” Kurt whispered. “We don’t have the girls. Blaine and Sam got into a fight. God, I missed you.”

“If this is some trick-”

“No trick. I need… I need to feel something. Anything.”

“And you can’t go to Blaine because…”

Kurt stared up into the other boy’s eyes, his own shining with fresh tears that threatened to fall. He took a deep breath before whispering, “Because I want you.”

“Kurt, I-”

“No strings, I know. Can we just… after the competition?”

“Only if you win.” Kurt frowned at Sebastian, whose smirk was back on his face. “You need incentive, right? I’m giving it to you.”

Kurt kissed the boy, pulling away with a smile. He made his way back into the choir room to prepare for the competition. He knew it was wrong, oh god, he knew. Blaine was only two hallways away from where he’d agreed to go with Sebastian after the competition for crying out loud. He should just call Max and get him to explain why the agreement was a bad idea.

“Hey.” He looked up at Blaine, who was looking concerned. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

“I’m fine,” he lied, blinking away his tears. “Just nerves.”

“Je ne vais pas me calmer. Je viens de voir le mâle talonneur.”

Kurt froze in fear at the angry voice around the corner. Celeste was in Ohio. Celeste was at McKinley where Sebastian was. Celeste, who hated Sebastian more than anything, had seen him in the halls.

“Celeste, please calm down,” Max’s voice spoke, calm and pleading. “Getting worked up isn’t going to help anyone. Let’s just go into the auditorium and support Kurt?”

“Si il pose un doigt sur mon petit garçon, je veillerai personnellement qu'il est battu et noyé dans le Rhin.”

“Okay,” Max agreed. “If anything happens, I’ll help you. But right now, we need to get back to Lucas and Danielle. You can yell at Kurt after he finishes performing, alright?”

Kurt sighed in relief as the footsteps began to backtrack towards the auditorium. He had to call Sebastian or text him to warn him. However, he couldn’t do it without making his boyfriend suspicious. He couldn’t warn Sebastian without possibly revealing everything to Blaine and New Directions.

“Hey.” The couple looked up at their friends, who were all looking concerned. “Kurt, there were some people looking for you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kurt assured his friends with a slight smile. “I’ll see them after the competition. We just need to get through this. We can’t get distracted or the Trouble Tones are going to win.”

As soon as they went into the auditorium, Kurt realized that they were sitting just in front of his friends. He gave them a small smile as he sat down, Danielle putting a hand on his shoulder. At least he had some comfort that he had more than just Sebastian to cheer him on.

“We need to talk,” she whispered in his ear. “Celeste saw your… friend earlier.”

“Can we talk tomorrow?”

“After the competition. Unless…” He turned around to give her a pleading look. Her face held a sadness that it only did when she knew he was upset about Sebastian. “Oh, Kurt…”

“I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow and coffee’s on me.” He watched as she glanced over at Max, who nodded in agreement. “I promise, Danny, nothing bad is going to happen.”

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt again.” The lights began to dim as a voice came overhead. “Good luck.”

Taking a deep breath, Kurt turned around and sat back in his seat. His eyes closed as he forced himself to concentrate on Sectionals. He couldn’t sit and have a panic attack in the auditorium just moments from this competition. He had to forget about Sebastian and what he planned to do tonight; forget about Celeste’s anger or the worry of the rest of his friends; forget that he was going to cheat on his boyfriend, who loved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> “Je ne vais pas me calmer. Je viens de voir le mâle talonneur.” – I will not calm down. I just saw the male hooker.
> 
> “Si il pose un doigt sur mon petit garçon, je veillerai personnellement qu'il est battu et noyé dans le Rhin.” – If he lays one finger on my baby boy, I will personally see that he is beaten and drowned in the Rhine.


	6. Five

Kurt’s eyes widened as the judges announced that New Directions had won. He looked out in the audience to see Sebastian with a knowing smirk. He moved with the rest of his friends to celebrate their win with a grin on his face. Everything was falling perfectly into place.

His eyes scanned the crowd, stopping on Sebastian, who was smiling and clapping with the rest of the auditorium. As their eyes met, the boy’s smile turned into a smirk and he nodded his approval.

The group made their way out of the auditorium to change back into normal clothes. As they walked through the halls to congratulations, Kurt was grabbed by the arm and turned to see Celeste’s familiar annoyed look. He gulped nervously as his eyes scanned the hallway to see Max, Lucas, and Danielle nearby.

“Hey, Celeste,” he said with a nervous smile. “It’s good to see you again. It’s too bad Olivia and Emily couldn’t come visit too. We need to get everyone together some time. I miss the fun we all together.”

“Pourquoi est-il ici, Kurt?” she demanded.

“I need to go change,” he told her, not wanting to explain things to her. “Go with the others and I’ll talk to you later.”

“Kurt?” He turned to Blaine with a surprised look. He looked at Celeste, who had a death-grip on Kurt’s arm. “Is everything okay?”

“Céleste, c'est mon copain, Blaine,” Kurt introduced, emphasizing the word boyfriend. He wasn’t going to have everything spoiled because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, even if she did speak French majority of the time. “I have a boyfriend, Celeste. You think I’m going to ruin that?”

“Pourquoi est-ce que le talonneur mâle ici, Kurt?” she demanded.

Kurt’s hand moved to his pocket to grab his phone, only to remember that he’d given it to Danielle to hold before their performance. He opened his mouth to ask for it back, when Celeste held it between her fingers, making him groan. Of course she’d gone through his messages and seen whom he’d been in touch with. That was why she was so adamant about getting answers from him.

“Blaine, I’ll see you later,” he calmly said, not tearing his eyes from his French friend. “I’ve got some things I have to take care of.”

“O-okay.”

The junior walked towards the dressing rooms as Kurt made his way towards the parking lot with the four people who knew of his past better than anyone. 

*

“A karaoke bar?” Kurt snorted as he read the large neon sign. “Really?”

“Just shut up.”

The two boys walked inside to find the rest of the interns all they. Kurt smiled at Danielle, Celeste, Olivia, and Emily, who were sitting with Max and Lucas, a college student Celeste had been going out with a lot. They all just waved as Max sent him a frown, warning him to be careful.

They got some drinks and went to find a table to themselves. As they listened to an extremely bad rendition of My Heart Will Go On in French, Kurt couldn’t help but laugh. His fourteen minutes of Celine Dion in French that won the Cheerios Nationals was definitely better than this.

“What’s so funny?” Sebastian asked with a smirk.

“Just remembering something,” he answered, shaking his head. “So, are you going to sing something or did you just bring me here to laugh at bad music?”

“I’ll sing if you do.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement. “You first.”

Sebastian just walked up to the stage as the other guy got off and spoke to the man who was making the line-up. The man nodded and wrote something down before speaking. Kurt could only watch as Sebastian came back with a cocky smile on his face.

Kurt laughed again before taking another sip of his drink. Sebastian motioned to the man, causing his laughter to die. He hesitated for a moment before standing up and walking over to where the girls were sitting, taking a seat with them.

“I need help,” he said with a frown. “Bas wants me to sing a song.”

“I’ll do a song with you,” Olivia said with a small smile. “How about Ludacris?”

Kurt nodded in agreement and the two went up to the man who was in charge of the line-up. They put their names and song down, getting a chuckle from the man before Kurt went and sat back down with a satisfied smirk.

The two boys sat and talked until Sebastian’s name was called. He walked up to the stage, where music from The Offspring’s You’re Gonna Go Far Kid was playing. Kurt couldn’t help the laugh as he shook his head. He knew Sebastian was probably doing it as a joke, but he’d be in shock as soon as Kurt got up on stage with Olivia.

*

They all stood outside in silence, no one saying anything as he snatched his phone from Celeste’s hand to see that Sebastian had sent him messages. “Can’t wait to make you scream” and “Handcuffs, whipped cream, and chocolate are in the car ready and waiting” were only two of the more innocent ones; he didn’t want to even focus on the dirtier ones.

His face flamed as he stopped at a particularly dirty one, when he realized that these messages had all been read previously. They had sat and read all of them, probably as they came through on his phone. He certainly hadn’t read them before going to perform.

“Celeste, I don’t-”

“We’re just worried,” Max said, taking a step forward. “We know what you’re like when he’s involved, Kurt. We just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I’m not like anything when he’s involved.”

“Like hell it isn’t.” He stared at Danielle in shock. He’d never heard her voice that angry before, even when she was stressed out over fashion week. “We’ve watched, Kurt. We’ve all seen how this plays out.”

“Kurt?” He spun around with wide eyes to see his dad and Carole come out with confused and worried looks. “Is everything okay here?”

“Everything’s fine,” he assured his dad. “Dad, this is Celeste and Lucas. You’ve already met Danny and Max. They’re all friends from my internship last year.”

“Hey, Mr. Hummel,” Max said with a tight smile. “Sorry about Dan.”

Kurt watched his dad’s eyes scan over the group before nodding. He told Kurt to call if he was going to be out late before they left, much to Kurt’s relief. No one wanted to get his parents involved in the mess that was his life. This was something they didn’t even know about and he hoped they wouldn’t ever find out. He wasn’t sure his dad would forgive him if he ever found out.

Once they were gone, Kurt turned to Danielle and gave his best bitch look before demanding, “How will it play out?”

“You’re going to pine after him and he’s going to walk all over you. Kurt, you have a boyfriend now. You can’t do this anymore.”

“I’m not doing anything.” He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “We’re just acquaintances. We haven’t even… you know.”

“Haven’t even what?” Everyone turned to see Sebastian smirking as he leaned against the side of the building. “Well, if it isn’t the perfect little interns.”

Kurt’s eyes widened as Max and Lucas both ran forward, grabbing Celeste and holding her back as she screamed French obscenities at the Warbler. This was definitely a side of his friend that he hadn’t missed one bit. She was brutal at best and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She would be one badass designer if she broke through into the fashion industry.

He watched as Sebastian just sat and took it with a smirk on his face. He knew that there were people staring at the scene in front of them. He could see from the corner of his eye that some of the people were from New Directions and the Warblers. He knew that this wasn’t going to end well for anyone.

He finally had enough of the shouting and stepped in the middle, stating, “Assez, c'est assez. J'étais le seul qui a accepté et je suis celui qui doit faire face à l'issue.” He looked at Sebastian with an eye roll as an apology. “Puis-je obtenir un chèque de pluie?”

The boy just nodded in agreement and quietly said, “Les parulines voulez vous prendre et Blaine pour célébrer votre victoire donc je suppose que nous devons.”

Kurt just sighed in relief at the fact that Celeste hadn’t screwed things up between himself and Sebastian. As long as he could keep them apart for the rest of their visit, this awkward relationship of sorts wasn’t going to be destroyed.

“Je t'aime, Céleste, mais je n'ai pas besoin de combattre mes batailles pour moi,” he said to the girl as Max and Lucas let go of her.

“I thought you were too scared of Celeste when she got like that to actually say anything,” Danielle teased, lightening the mood with her laugh. “Looks like little Kurtie-cat grew up.”

His annoyed look turned into a scowl as the four people from out of town started laughing. That was a nickname they’d all gotten used to using and Finn was the only one in Ohio who knew about it. He knew that he’d never hear the end of it from the rest of his friends.

“Kurt.” He looked up at Thad, who had a familiar smile on his face. “We’re taking you and Blaine out. Your friends are more than welcome to come.”

As he glanced at the group, he wondered if he should have them tag along. He would have to spend most of his time keeping them away from Sebastian, but he would be able to spend time with all of his friends he never saw. He could also keep everything from falling apart.

“Fou laide française,” Sebastian muttered under his breath, making Kurt bite his lip to keep from laughing.

“Okay, I’m in,” Kurt agreed. He turned to the other four, who were still looking wary about all this. “You guys are coming too, right?”

“Someone needs to keep you out of trouble,” Max said with a smirk.

“Great. Give me the address and I’ll meet you guys there after I change.”

“Actually.” Kurt turned to Nick with a frown on his face. “The others will meet us there. You’re going to be driving with me and Jeff.”

He nodded and went back into the school with the two Warblers following him. He knew what they wanted and he would answer their questions as honestly as possible. They deserved to at least know why they’d found him coming out of Sebastian’s room.

As he changed, he made sure that they were looking away. It was quiet until Nick asked, “So what really happened that night?”

“Like I said, Blaine and I had a fight,” Kurt sighed as he pulled on a white turtleneck. “We went to Scandals with Sebastian. Blaine got drunk and tried to talk me into sex in the back of the Navigator. I said no, he walked off, and I went back inside. I just wanted to forget so I got drunk and Sebastian let me crash in his dorm. We didn’t do anything.”

“You guys just seemed really chummy and Blaine just met him days before so…”

“Oh, Bas and I met last year,” Kurt explained as the pulled on his jacket. “I was in Paris for the summer and we became pretty decent friends. Celeste, on the other hand – she’s the French one –would probably kill him faster than you could say ‘C’est la vie’.”

“Yeah, she didn’t seem too friendly.”

They all laughed and went out to the car as Kurt glanced down at the leather band around his wrist. He’d decided to wear it as a good luck charm for Sectionals, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Would Sebastian recognize it as his own from their trip to a flea market one weekend? Would he say anything about it if he noticed it?

“I’m assuming no one knows about you and Sebastian?” Jeff wondered.

He shook his head as he slid into the back seat. “No. It was easier to just forget about each other after Paris.”

He noticed the concerned expressions that passed between his friends’ faces. This was the most he’d admitted to anyone about Sebastian and the only time he’d actually confirmed the boy to being the one from France.

As he opened his phone he sent a text to Sebastian that read: “On our way. Try to stay away from Celeste until we get there.”

“Where are we going anyways?”

The two friends just exchanged a grin that made Kurt’s insides twist. Whatever it was, he wasn’t sure he would like it.

And he was absolutely right.

As soon as he saw the sign outside of a building that specified the place as a karaoke bar, he groaned. Hopefully he could get through the night without any Ludacris music disasters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> “Pourquoi est-il ici, Kurt?” – Why is he here, Kurt?  
> “Céleste, c'est mon copain, Blaine.” – Celeste, this is my boyfriend, Blaine.  
> “Pourquoi est-ce que le talonneur mâle ici, Kurt?” – Why is the male hooker here, Kurt?  
> “Assez, c'est assez. J'étais le seul qui a accepté et je suis celui qui doit faire face à l'issue.” – Enough is enough. I was the one who agreed and I’m the one who has to deal with the outcome.  
> “Puis-je obtenir un chèque de pluie?” – Can I get a rain check?  
> “Les parulines voulez vous prendre et Blaine pour célébrer votre victoire donc je suppose que nous devons.” – The Warblers want to take you and Blaine out to celebrate your win so I guess we have to.  
> “Je t'aime, Céleste, mais je n'ai pas besoin de combattre mes batailles pour moi,” – I love you, Celeste, but I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.  
> “Fou laide française.” – Crazy French woman.


	7. Six

As he stepped out of the car, Kurt touched the leather on his wrist. He just wanted to run away from the building as fast as he could. This brought back too many memories that he didn’t want. These were the kinds of memories he knew he couldn’t remember and not just because of the deal they’d made. The kinds of memories that made him wonder he was just living one perpetual nightmare.

“You okay?” Nick asked with a concerned look.

“I-I’m fine,” he lied, shaking his head. “I’ll be fine.”

The three walked in to see all of the Warblers, New Directions, and Trouble Tones all sitting around the room. As soon as he found Max, Lucas, Celeste, and Danielle, he instantly made his way over to their table and sat down with them. Celeste had a bitch glare that was directed towards Sebastian.

“You okay, Kurt?” Max asked. He shook his head, knowing it was impossible to lie to the four of them. “You want something to drink?” He nodded in agreement, hoping that he could just lose himself. “I’ll go grab you something.”

As he got up, Danielle reached over to touch his hand over the table. She gave him a soft smile, quietly saying, “I’m proud of you, Kurt. This is such a big thing for you.”

“Hey, Kurt?” He turned to Blaine with a weak smile. “Come sing with me. Please?”

“In a little bit,” he answered, his voice only a whisper. “I promise.” Blaine looked concerned by how quiet and closed off he was. He knew he probably looked a mess at the moment. “I’m just a little worn out from Sectionals.”

“Hey, Kurt?” He turned his attention to Lucas, who was staring at his wrist. “Where did you get that bracelet from? Haven’t I seen it before?”

“Got it in Paris,” he answered, not really lying. “That corner shop I told you Celeste would like. The one just a block away from Chanel.”

Everyone’s heads turned toward him. He knew he’d just given away exactly where it came from. He hadn’t been the one to go into the shop. It had been Sebastian who had gone into the store and Sebastian who had gotten him a watch.

“What did Kurt do now?” Max teased as he walked back with four glasses in his hands. “Please say it has to do with forgetting about Paris.”

“I wish,” Kurt scowled as he took the alcohol and downed it, not even flinching as it burned his throat. “I’m going to go sing. There’s a song that someone needs to hear.”

“O-okay,” Blaine stuttered.

Kurt ran over to the DJ and smiled as he told the man what song he wanted to sing. The DJ nodded and turned on the music as he jumped onto the stage. He took a deep breath and stared at his friends, hoping they’d get the message.

Comparisons are easily done  
Once you've had a taste of perfection  
Like an apple hanging from a tree  
I picked the ripest one  
I still got the seed

You said move on   
Where do I go  
I guess second best  
Is all I will know

He turned to Sebastian and shot him a look, telling him that this song was for him without words. He couldn’t come out and say it, but this wasn’t about Blaine at all.

Cause when I'm with him  
I am thinking of you  
Thinking of you   
What you would do if  
You were the one   
Who was spending the night  
Oh I wish that I  
Was looking into your eyes

He closed his eyes before glancing over at his four friends, all of whom had extremely annoyed looks on their faces. This was the only way he could think of to admit how he truly felt.

You're like an Indian summer  
In the middle of winter  
Like a hard candy   
With a surprise center  
How do I get better  
Once I've had the best  
You said there's  
Tons of fish in the water  
So the waters I will test

He kissed my lips  
I taste your mouth  
He pulled me in   
I was disgusted with myself

Cause when I'm with him  
I am thinking of you  
Thinking of you   
What you would do if  
You were the one   
Who was spending the night  
Oh I wish that I  
Was looking into...

You're the best  
And yes I do regret  
How I could let myself  
Let you go  
Now the lesson's learned  
I touched it I was burned  
Oh I think you should know

There was a scowl on Sebastian’s face as he stood up and walked away. Kurt’s eyes filled with tears before he turned to Blaine with a sad smile on his face. He hoped that his boyfriend would think that this was about him and not some other boy. He had to hope that no one would ever find out about him and Sebastian, even if it was staring them in the face.

Cause when I'm with him  
I am thinking of you  
Thinking of you   
What you would do if  
You were the one   
Who was spending the night  
Oh I wish that I  
Was looking into your eyes  
Looking into your eyes   
Looking into your eyes  
Oh won't you walk through   
And bust in the door   
And take me away  
Oh no more mistakes  
Cause in your eyes I'd like to stay...

 

Everyone began clapping as he stepped down from the stage with a slight frown on his face along with a flush. He made his way over to the bar, when the bartender handed him a beer and a note. The note was short and to the point, saying: “You’re walking on an extremely fine line. Bathroom in five?”

Quickly downing about a fourth of the beer in one swallow, he went over to the table and sat down next to Blaine, who was currently in a discussion with Lucas and Max. He felt his boyfriend’s arm wrap around him, making him stiffen.

“I only see you too, baby,” Blaine quietly said into his ear, tickling it.

His hand, surprisingly, moved to Kurt’s thigh, making him jump up with a flustered look as he said, “Bathroom. I need… back.”

Kurt all but ran into the bathroom, forgetting about his previous panic attack until he felt himself pushed up against the wall, lips pressing against his neck. His thoughts all fled, his mind immediately going someplace darker.

*

“I’ll be right back,” Kurt said with a smile as he finished off the rest of his beer.

He and Sebastian had started a little competition between the two of them of who could perform better. He had to admit that he was thoroughly enjoying himself – if only New Directions could be more like this – and never wanted the night to end. He was just glad that they’d chosen to do this on a day where he didn’t have work in the morning.

As soon as he reached the bathroom, he did his business and was washing his hands, when he was grabbed and pressed up against the wall, his head turned so his face didn’t smash. A hand covered his mouth, keeping him from screaming out for help.

There was a deep voice speaking French, though his mind went blank. He couldn’t tell what was being said, though he could feel a sweaty hand make its way under his shirt. He was whimpering in fear as he felt the hand begin to undo the button of his jeans.

“Eloigne toi de lui!” he heard Sebastian shout in French.

The weight was pulled off suddenly and he could feel himself slide onto the ground. He couldn’t focus on everything and it just seemed like a haze. He felt a familiar pair of hands help him up and pull him out of the bathroom.

“Come on, Gay Face. Let’s get you home.”

*

“Come on, Gay Face. I said I’m sorry.”

Kurt’s vision focused on Sebastian as he tried to force himself to stop shaking. He had to force himself to focus as he clutched the Warbler’s arm. He had to force himself to focus on the present and not a memory. This wasn’t the karaoke bar in Paris and no one was forcing themselves on him.

“I thought you were over this,” Sebastian said, kneeling down in front of him. “If I would have known-”

“It’s not your fault,” Kurt shakily replied as he tried to force himself to stand up. He was still shaking too hard, though, and had to let himself sit back down. “No one knew…”

“Will you be okay for just a minute?”

Kurt nodded and slowly let go of Sebastian’s arm before the boy left the restroom. He pulled his knees up to his chest and stared at the ground. If anyone who wasn’t his friends from Paris or Sebastian came in, they’d be shocked to the core. He didn’t care that his clothes were getting dirty or that he was on the ground in a public restroom.

“Kurt.” He looked up at Max, who was staring at him in concern. “What happened?”

“Bas pushed me against the wall and started to kiss me and I…” He didn’t have to finish that sentence. “Is he okay? I know I freaked him out.”

“He was heading out for the night, but he said to have you let him know when you’re up for a good round of bathroom sex.” Kurt snickered as he forced himself up from the floor, leaning on Max to keep him standing as they walked out. “You think you’ll be okay?”

“I-I’ll be fine,” he lied, knowing that his friends would never believe that. “I have to be fine.”

The two boys walked out to find Brittany and Santana singing some Brittany Spears song that Kurt didn’t feel the urge to remember the title of. He sat down between Blaine and Danielle, putting his head on the girl’s shoulder. He just wanted to pass out and forget absolutely everything.

“Kurt, what’s wrong?” He glanced over at Blaine, whose expression was extremely worried. “You look like Karofsky got to you.”

“Just really tired,” he lied.

I wanna li-li-li-lick you from your head to your toes  
And I wanna move from the bed down to the, to the flo’  
Then I wanna ah-ah you make it so good I don’t wanna leave  
But I gotta kn-kn-kn-know wh-what’s your Fanta-ta-sy

Kurt’s pale look became flushed as he pulled out his phone with an embarrassed look. Danielle was close to tears with laughter and even Celeste was giggling about the song. The two men, however, were just smirking and he knew he was going to get it for having that song still.

Sorry again for earlier. Call me tonight? – S

He glanced to see Blaine’s confused look before quickly typing out a reply of: Not going to happen. I’ll talk to you soon? – K

He turned his ringer to vibrate as David and Thad came over, pulling Kurt and Blaine onto the stage. The two boys blushed in embarrassment as they were given microphones and told that they couldn’t get out of singing the song.

If there’s a price for rotten judgment  
I guess I’ve already won that  
No man is worth the aggravation  
That’s ancient history  
Been there, done that

Kurt froze on the spot and just stared out at the room as he tried to think of what came next. He should know the song, but the lyrics and the music just weren’t coming to him.

This wasn’t a song he could sing with Blaine because it meant something that it shouldn’t mean. It reminded him that he wasn’t being a good boyfriend to the boy who had helped him through everything. It reminded him that he was as good as cheating on Blaine, even though there hadn’t actually been sex yet. It reminded him that he was in love with a boy who wasn’t his boyfriend.

“Kurt?” He looked at Blaine in confusion. “You look really sick. Maybe I should take you home?”

“You stay,” Kurt quietly said as he handed over his microphone. “Have fun and party. I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

“Hey, Kurt.” He turned to Finn, who was walking towards them. “You don’t look so good, man.”

“Could you take me home?”

“We’ll take him.” He looked over at Nick and Jeff, opening his mouth to argue. “We’ll go grab your car from the school. I want to talk to you anyways.”

After a lot of goodbyes and feel betters, Kurt was in the car with the two Dalton boys. None of them said anything for a good ten minutes. Kurt was just sort of curled up in the back, not really focusing on anything. He was pulling into himself the longer he kept quiet.

“Alright,” Nick said as they pulled up to a red light. “You run away from your boyfriend who is crazy for you and into the bathroom where a guy you like took off to while you were singing. Then, said guy comes out, nearly running with a look no one has seen on him before and whispers something to your friend before taking off.” Kurt just shrugged in response. “Seriously, Kurt, what happened?”

“It’s not a big deal. Just leave it.”

“Kurt, you looked ready to pass out when you came out of there. Did Sebastian do something to you?”

“No. Bas wouldn’t… I just wasn’t… I don’t want to worry anyone. Just leave it?”

With that said, they pulled into the school parking lot where Kurt went to his car. As he stepped out of the car, Jeff rolled down the window and said, “We’re just worried about you. Call if you need anything, alright?”

“I will,” he agreed with a weak smile. “Thanks for the ride.”

As soon as he climbed into his car, he felt himself go completely numb. For once, this had nothing to do with Sebastian or Blaine. This was something more that no one could help him out of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> “Eloigne toi de lui.” – Get away from him!


	8. Seven

“Kurt, you have visitors,” Carol’s voice called up the stairs.

After arriving home two hours previous, Kurt had hid himself in his room, refusing to speak to his father or his stepmother. They were both concerned and had called Finn, who admitted that he’d gone into the bathroom before coming out looking extremely pale. He’d heard the conversation and knew that everyone was confused, but he didn’t want to talk.

The door suddenly opened and Blaine walked in followed by Max, Lucas, Danielle, and Celeste. They all crowded into the room before Danielle launched herself at the bed with a laugh as Kurt rolled his eyes, unable to stop his lips from quirking up.

“Your dad said you won’t talk to them,” Danielle said, her smile softening as she ran her fingers through his hair. “You really have been acting like Paris never existed, haven’t you?”

“Kurt, what happened?” Blaine asked. “If something happened to you…”

“It’s nothing,” he assured his boyfriend. “I just… I had a bad experience with a karaoke bar in Paris.” He looked around at everyone. “Why are you all here?”

“We are worried about you, Kurt.” He flinched at Lucas’s words. The older man may be a man of extremely few words, but his tone added onto his accent was not something you wanted to have against you. “You are still family.”

“We’re busting you out,” Danielle said with a giggle. “We’re all going to the hotel to watch musicals and eat greasy pizza.”

Kurt just shook his head and stood up, grabbing his bag. He made his way over to his closet to find clothes when he noticed his phone blinking, indicating that he had messages. He scrolled through all of the ones about his friends’ worry and found ones that he would reply to.

I want my bracelet back, Gay Face. – S

Call when you get this. We need to talk about what happened. – S

Come on, Gay Face. If you don’t call me, I’ll let Blaine know the reason for your Casper look. – S

He hit the reply button and sent a quick message of It’s been my bracelet for over a year. I’m not giving it back. – K before going back to packing an overnight bag. If he had to hold off on the call until later, at least he could let Sebastian know that he was still functioning. The last thing he wanted to admit to the other boy was that he had begun to pull back into himself.

As they reached the two cars, Danielle explained that she and Celeste were going with Blaine so that Kurt could talk to the guys. He tossed his boyfriend an apologetic look as he climbed into the car and slammed the door behind him.

While Max and Lucas spoke to the girls and Blaine, Kurt’s phone began vibrating in his pocket. He looked down to see that Sebastian was calling him. He couldn’t ignore the call, but he wasn’t sure if he should answer it.

In the end, he ended up sending it to voicemail.

“Alright, we’re getting the pizza and they’re getting the movies,” Max said as they pulled out of the driveway. “And now, what exactly happened earlier?”

“I-I went to talk to Bas and… he pressed me up against the wall. I thought I was in Paris again. I’ve never… I never reacted like that. Not with Karofsky or…” He shook his head as he wiped away some tears that had escaped his hold. “Maybe being in a karaoke bar just got to me.”

He turned back to stare out of the window with a frown on his face. He curled up into a ball, not really thinking about what he was doing. His mind was flashing back to Sebastian’s face when he snapped back to reality. The boy had looked absolutely panicked, the mask he usually wore completely torn down.

“Hey, Hummel.” He blinked in surprise, looking to see that they were outside a pizza place. “What do you want?”

“The usual,” Kurt answered with a small smile.

As the door slammed shut, Kurt closed his eyes and drifted off into a hopefully peaceful sleep.

*

“You’re ridiculous,” Kurt laughed as he walked down the lit up darkness that was Paris. “Did you really think that you would be able to sneak me out of work an hour early?”

“It was worth a try,” Sebastian answered, shrugging nonchalantly. “So, I thought we’d go someplace I haven’t taken you yet. And it’s the weekend so you don’t have to worry about work in the morning.”

Kurt just shook his head with a laugh. He let himself be pulled through the Paris streets. It was so nice to just be out without having to worry about anything. There were no other people around to “watch out” for him and he didn’t have any deadlines in the morning.

Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a blazing amount of lights. Kurt just stared up in awe at what was sitting in front of him. This building that he had hoped to visit one weekend.

“The Eiffel Tower?” he laughed, looking at his friend. “This is so awesome. I can’t believe you took me here.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get all sentimental on me, Gay Face.” Sebastian smiled as he let go of Kurt’s hand. “Stay here, alright? I’ll be right back.”

“Bas-”

“Stay or I’ll let you go home alone.”

He rolled his eye as the other boy took off to do something. He looked around at all of the small street vendors, seeing all the couples walking around. They all looked so happy and in love, including the few gay couples that were also out.

“Kurt?”

He spun around on his heel, eyes widening in shock. In front of him was a woman with brunette hair and hazel eyes. Her outfit a one of a kind that he knew he would never see again.

“A-Anna,” he stuttered in shock. “What are… I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I had a meeting,” she answered with a smile. “And ‘Bastian said something about coming here with a friend. I thought I’d come make sure he wasn’t causing any trouble.” Her smile turned down slightly. “Are you here alone?”

“No, I’m just waiting for a friend,” he answered, tightening his jacket around his body. “I’m sure your son isn’t getting into trouble.”

“Maman?” Kurt turned to see Sebastian with his hand behind his back. “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t come to make sure my son isn’t getting into trouble? I happened to run into Kurt and he told me he’s waiting for a friend.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re busy and have a lot to-”

Kurt shifted uncomfortably as he looked away from Anna. He and Sebastian weren’t really exclusively dating or even considered themselves friends besides the kind “with benefits” and he wasn’t quite sure how to react to her. He didn’t want to say something that Sebastian would get mad at him about.

“Sebastian, what is behind your back?” Kurt’s eyes snapped to Sebastian, who kept his hand behind his back. “Let me see.”

“I should go,” Kurt mumbled, turning away.

“Wait.” He looked at Sebastian, who was looking embarrassed. He sighed and revealed a single red rose that was directed towards Kurt. “Here.”

Anna gasped in surprise and said, “Well, don’t let me interrupt. ‘Bastian, I’ll see you at home. Be nice to him. We need him for Fashion Week.”

As Anna walked off, Kurt stared down at the rose in his hand with bright red cheeks that nearly matched the flower. He had no idea what to say or how to react to what was happening. Sebastian had just given him a rose in front of his own mother.

“Come on, Gay Face,” Sebastian said, grabbing his arm. “After thoroughly embarrassing us both in front of my mother, I’m not going to let you run away. I’ve still got plans for you.”

“But-”

“Come on. Before I decide to go find one someone else to spend time with.”

Kurt just rolled his eyes and let himself be pulled as he saw a small smile on Sebastian’s face that he hadn’t ever seen before. He couldn’t tell what the emotion was, but he hoped it was something good.

*

“We’ve got Footloose, How to Succeed In Business, Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia!, and Rent,” Danielle said with a grin as the guys walked into the hotel room. “An all-night musical extravaganza.”

Kurt grabbed a paper plate and pulled out two slices of extra greasy pizza and sat on the bed with the two girls taking up spots on either side. They’d already popped popcorn and had bowls of candy waiting to be eaten.

“So, what movie are we starting with, Diva?” Kurt just gave a look that made everyone laugh. “Rent it is.”

“You were pretty deep in thought in the car,” Max spoke up. “What were you thinking about?”

“N-nothing,” he lied with a deep blush.

“I know that blush,” Danielle said with a grin as she pulled out a picture and waved it around. “The only time you were that red was when you went to the Eiffel Tower.”

Kurt saw the picture and blushed even harder when he saw it. Olivia and Emily were teasing him with the rose in a vase next to them. They’d spent hours squealing about the rose and were trying to get him to tell them exactly what happened.

“Did you guys take photos of every single moment we weren’t working?” Kurt asked as he buried his face in a pillow. “I hate you so much right now.”

“Who are the girls in the picture?” Blaine asked.

“Emily and Olivia, the two last people in our group,” Max answered. “Em is at Yale and ‘Livia is at Harvard. That picture was taken when they found out Kurt had his first date.”

“It wasn’t a date,” Kurt insisted, throwing a pillow at his friend. “It was just dinner and sightseeing.”

“Then why do you blush whenever it’s mentioned?” Danielle teased as Celeste giggled.

They made it through Rent and part way through Footloose, when Kurt’s phone began vibrating. He looked down to see that it read: SOS. – S

“What is it?” Blaine asked.

Kurt just shook his head, getting up and going into the kitchen area, dialing the number. He listened to the ringing, hoping that this was just a prank from the other boy.

“Gay Fashe?”

“You got yourself drunk again, did you?” There was no answer on the other end. “I’m not coming to get you. Get yourself out of this mess.”

“Pleash? I’ll buy you a new shcarf.”

“Where are you?”

“Outshide Shcandalsh.”

“Go back inside. I’ll call you when I get there. Oh, and remind me to kill you when you’re sober.” He hung up and walked over to the group, who were all eyeing him. “I need to borrow your car.”

“What’s wrong?” Blaine asked.

“I have to go rescue an idiot before he gets himself killed,” he sighed with an eye roll. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Can’t he call someone else?” Danielle asked, rolling her eyes.

“I’m the closest and the idiot will just owe me even more. I’m really sorry, guys.” He grabbed the keys and kissed Blaine’s cheek. “I swear, we’ll finish our marathon tomorrow after school.”

“Be careful.”

Kurt frowned as he ran to the car and climbed in, driving to Scandals with the radio turned off. He was wondering why, out of all the people Sebastian knew, he would call for help. Surely one of the other guys he partied with or even Dave Karofsky could help him.

He ran up to the doorman and flashed his ID, which the man nodded in agreement for him to go in. He walked in and looked around, trying to spot Sebastian on the dance floor or even at the bar.

“Where are you, ‘Bastian?” he sighed under his breath as he made his way into the bathroom to see a man kissing Sebastian who was in shoved up against the wall. “Get off of him.”

“What are you gonna do about it?” the man questioned with a sneer.

“It’s time to leave, Bas,” Kurt stated.

“Gotta go,” the boy said, stumbling towards Kurt. “Thanksh for getting me.”

They made their way outside and got to the car before Kurt spun on the drunk boy in anger. He glared at Sebastian and demanded, “What were you thinking? I thought it was implied that you don’t do anything when you call for me to pick you up.”

“Why sho mad?” Sebastian slurred.

“Tonight was supposed to be fun and get my mind off of the karaoke bar, but you had to screw it up. What were you even thinking, Bas? Why would you even come here and then call me to pick you up after I ignore your calls?”

“Becaush you ignored me.” Kurt’s eyes widened in shock at that. “I made you remember. I’m a ba… bad boyfriend.”

“You’re not my boyfriend, Sebastian. We were never dating. You just took me around the city. You made it clear we weren’t dating.”

“But-”

“You’re drunk and not thinking straight.” He helped the boy into the back seat of the car. “I’m taking you home. You’re not going back to Dalton tonight.” He sighed as he dialed Nick’s number. “Pick up, please.”

“Hey.”

“Oh, thank god.”

“You’ve reached Nick. I’m busy right now, leave your name and-”

“Damn it,” Kurt quietly swore as he dialed Jeff’s number. “I swear, Jeff…”

“I can’t come to the phone-”

Groaning, he called the one number he could think of. There were only a few people he could trust to help him with this and as far as he knew, Blaine was still at the hotel.

“Hey, Kurt.”

“Finn, I need you to do something really important for me. I need you to look up the address for Smythe. They live in Westerville.”

“What are you going to Westerville for?”

“I just need it, Finn. It’s really important.”

Finn gave him the address and he quickly thanked his stepbrother before hanging up. He hoped that he could somehow get Sebastian inside without his parents finding out. There was no way he was taking Sebastian to his own house – Burt would kill him. As long as he could keep the drunk boy quiet, he would have no problems.

“Never told you,” a quiet voice mumbled in the back seat. “Never wanted to forget… Never wanted to stop caring.”


	9. Eight

After Kurt pulled up to Sebastian’s house, he rolled his eyes at the size of it. It looked more like a small hotel than an actual house. He pulled up to the gate to have a security guard walking up to the car. Of course Sebastian would have security and a front gate.

“Can I help you?” the security guard asked.

“I have a drunk Smythe in the backseat,” Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes as Sebastian groaned in response.

The security guard just chuckled and said, “Change of pace, Sebastian? No cab this time?”

“Fuck off,” Sebastian groaned.

The guard motioned for the gate to be opened, letting Kurt drive up to the front of the house. As he pulled up and parked, he got out of the car and pulled Sebastian out, forcing him to stand and walk, though he held most of the other boy’s weight.

“Come on, Smirky Meerkat,” Kurt said as he helped Sebastian up. “You need to navigate me. I’ve never been to your mansion before.”

As they walked into the house, Kurt didn’t really have a chance to look around. Sebastian was dragging him through the house, albeit haphazardly with all the stumbling.

“Bastian?” Kurt froze at the familiar voice. “I thought you were staying at school tonight.” Anna Smythe walked out of one of the other rooms off to the side, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “Kurt Hummel. I definitely wasn’t expecting to see your familiar face.”

“H-hi, Anna,” he stuttered, not quite sure what to say in response to that. He glanced nervously at Sebastian, not quite sure what to say. “Uh, we were just… um…”

“Second floor, first door on the left.” He looked at her in surprise. “It’s two am. I don’t want you driving this late. You can take the spare room next to ‘Bastian’s.”

“Uh, thanks.”

They made it half way up the stairs, before Anna said, “Oh, and Kurt? Thank you for looking out for him.”

As soon as they made it to the bedroom, Kurt tossed the other boy on the bed. He pulled out his phone, deciding the least he could do was call Max and the others to let them know that he was alright. He knew he would get an earful from Celeste, but he was too exhausted to care.

“Hey, we were wondering when you’d call.”

“Stupid idiot was in the bathroom getting ready to have sex when I got there. Unfortunately, he lives two hours away.”

“So you got him home alright?”

“Yeah. Listen, I took the idiot home and Anna was here. She told me to stay the night so I’ll drop the car off at the hotel on my way to school.”

“Alright.” There was mumbling coming from the other end. “Your boyfriend left a little after you did. You might want to clear things up. Oh, and Celeste wants you to smack him.”

“Blaine?”

“Your meerkat friend.”

“I’m not going to smack a drunk. Maybe when he’s hungover tomorrow and screwed himself because of school, but not tonight.” He sighed as he looked over at Sebastian, who was trying – and failing miserably – to pull his shirt off. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Tell Anna that we all say hello.”

Kurt hung up and laughed slightly as he walked over to where Sebastian was still having issues with his shirt. He helped him discard the shirt before pulling the boy’s shoes off, wondering why he was doing this. If it had been anyone else, even Blaine, Kurt would have just let them find another ride. Okay, so maybe he would have given them a ride, but he wouldn’t have driven an hour and a half to make sure they got home okay.

“You have to stop doing this to yourself,” Kurt sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re going to get alcohol poisoning one of these days. Then where will you be?” He was grabbed around the neck and forced down onto the bed, laughing as he let himself fall. “Alright, I’m heading into the guest room. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Shtay,” the boy mumbled.

Kurt frowned and slipped off his clothes, leaving on his boxers before climbing into the bed. Sebastian, who was clingy when he was exhausted and drunk, immediately grabbed him, making him laugh. He stared at the Warbler, a small smile playing across his lips.

*

_He wasn’t quite sure how the girls had talked him into this. He could be back at the apartment working on some designs or getting some sleep as he was still getting used to the time differences, but here he was at Le Showcase with the girls and Max._

_“Come on, Kurt,” Emily said with a grin as she pulled him onto the dance floor._

_The two laughed as they danced with each other, when Kurt noticed him. The boy with brown hair who was staring at them – or rather him. The boy was about his age and had a cocky smirk spread across his face._

_“I need some water,” Kurt told Emily, making a break for the bar and ordering a glass of water._

_The boy walked up next to him and leaned against the bar, ordering two margaritas. Kurt gave a bashful smile as the boy pushed one over to him. They both raised the glasses and took a sip._

_“Merci,” Kurt thanked the boy._

_“Your accent is horrible,” the boy chuckled, the cocky smirk still on his face. “Sebastian.”_

_“Kurt,” he introduced himself. “So, you know your French accents?”_

_“I’ve spent half my life in France, I better know how to produce a perfect accent.” Kurt just shook his head with a laugh. “So, I saw you with your girlfriend.”_

_“Just a friend. I’m here for the summer on an internship and everyone decided that this would be fun for our first weekend.”_

_The boy raised an eyebrow as he said, “Surely, you have a girlfriend back home?”_

_“Try boyfriend and no. I’m single.”_

_“What a coincidence, so am I.” Sebastian’s look was condescending, but Kurt ignored it in favor of eyeing the boy’s muscles. “I find relationships are too overrated.”_

_Now that was something Kurt wasn’t expecting. In all honesty, the more he talked to this guy, the more he was led to believe that he had just met a male version of Santana._

_“So, what’s the point of flirting if you aren’t looking for a boyfriend?”_

_“Sex.” Kurt bit his lip, trying hard to not blush and reveal the baby penguin he was. “Are you a virgin?”_

_“It’s none of your business,” Kurt scowled as he took another drink, “but I’m from a small town and the only out kid in my school.”_

_“Well, we’ll just have to fix your little virgin act, won’t we?”_

_Kurt raised an eyebrow at that. Surely, the others wouldn’t like it if he ran off on them during their first weekend off. Not to mention Max had promised Burt that he’d look out for the younger boy. If his father knew what was going on or that he’d met some guy who’d wanted to have sex with him, he was sure he’d be killed._

_“Come on,” Sebastian whispered, his breath tickling Kurt’s ear as the boy leaned in extremely close. “You’re in Paris for the summer. Even if you never come back, you won’t be able to say your life is boring, right?”_

_After a moment, Kurt said he’d be right back. He ran over to Emily, who was now dancing with Danielle, and told the two girls he was tired and heading back to the apartment early. They just told him to be careful getting there and to call a cab if he needed._

_With the last goodbyes, Kurt began to weave back towards the bar where his first possible drunken night in Paris was waiting._

*

Looking at the clock to see that it was only five in the morning, Kurt groaned in annoyance. He rolled out of the bed and looked at Sebastian with the urge to smack him just because he could and there was a big possibility he would be late to school. However, seeing the peaceful look on the boy’s face, he left him and went to find a bathroom.

Of course, he found a walk-in closet first. As much as he wanted to go through the closet piece by piece, he knew that wouldn’t be possible so he settled on finding a decent outfit before he could actually find the bathroom. He quickly did his hair, ignoring the fact that these weren’t his usual hair care products or that he wasn’t taking a shower or even that he was wearing Sebastian’s clothes.

He quietly made his way downstairs, hoping he could sneak out without anyone noticing him. That, however, was ruined when Anna’s voice came from behind, saying, “Do you want some breakfast before you head back to school?”

“S-sure,” he stuttered, following her into an extremely large kitchen that he would love to get his hands on. “Oh my god…”

“How do you like your omelets?” Anna asked as she pulled out a carton of eggs. “And don’t try to refuse anything, Kurt. You’re a guest in this house.”

“A veggie omelet?” His answer was more of a question as he leaned against the counter across from her. “You have a beautiful home.”

“One of many,” she sighed with a slight smile. “So, what did ‘Bastian do this time? You weren’t at a party were you?”

“No.” He wasn’t quite sure how to answer her. “Max, Celeste, and Danny are visiting so I was spending time with them when Sebastian called and asked for a ride. They know that I’ve been hanging out with him and they don’t really like it, but they understand that I don’t want to see him get hurt because he decided to drive or something.”

“How are those three? I haven’t heard from any of you even though you all promised to keep me updated.”

He couldn’t keep the smile off his lips as he told her, “Danny and Max both attend LIM and are dating, Celeste is engaged to Lucas, who she met during the summer internship, Emily’s at Yale and Olivia’s at Harvard. As for me, I’m still in high school. I was planning to attend Julliard, but now I’m looking at NYADA.”

“No fashion degree?” Anna asked, raising an eyebrow. “You were one of my favorites, Kurt. I would have loved for you to come work with me after you graduated.”

“Oh my god. Are-are you serious?” She nodded her agreement. “I put in applications for LIM and other schools for fashion, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted.”

Anna handed him a plate and they both leaned over the counter, discussing the latest fashions and other things Kurt missed doing in Paris. She even pulled out a sketchpad to show him a couple of her designs she was working on.

“I should be going,” Anna told him with a smile as she put the now-empty plates in the sink. “I have to be on a plane to New York.” The two walked towards the door as Kurt pulled on his jacket and slipped into his shoes. “There’s a fashion show in Chicago next month if you’re interested. It would be an all-weekend event, but I would love to see you.”

“Y-yes, of course.” He would never turn down an invitation from Anna Smythe. “I would love to.”

“Wonderful. I’ll have ‘Bastian give you the information. Oh, and tell the others to not be strangers.”

Kurt couldn’t help the grin on his face as he climbed into his car and began to drive away. For once, things were looking up and he could actually see himself becoming a huge fashion designer. Anna Smythe wanted him to work for her after he graduated college. He had a job lined up and he was only a high school senior, something everyone dreamed of.

As he pulled up to the hotel where his friends were staying, he knew that nothing could ruin his day.

If only he knew what was waiting for him at school.


	10. Nine

As soon as Max had dropped Kurt off at school, the boy instantly ran inside to find Mercedes. He couldn’t wait to tell her about what had happened. As soon as she was in his line of sight, he slowed to a complete stop. He couldn’t tell her what was happening because no one knew anything. They knew he’d made some friends in Paris, sure, but they didn’t know one of those “friends” – technically a friend with benefits but he wouldn’t admit that either – was the son of a fashion designer. That would bring up too many questions he didn’t want to answer.

“Are you feeling better?” Mercedes asked with a concerned look as he slowly walked towards her, the smile on his face just moments ago now replaced by a frown. “You don’t look nearly as pale.”

“A lot better,” he assured her with a small smile. “I’m having a movie night with Max and the girls tonight so hopefully things will be even better.”

His phone began buzzing and he looked to see a text from Danielle that read: You were invited to one of Anna Smythe’s fashion shows and you didn’t tell us?!

Was running late. Explain more tonight. – K

“Hey, Kurt.” He turned to see that Blaine looked just as exhausted as he felt. There was also something in his boyfriend’s eyes that he couldn’t quite explain. “Can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed with a shrug. “See you at lunch, Mercedes.”

As he walked down the hall, trailing after his boyfriend, he began to realize that his great start to the morning was over and he had to face reality. Blaine’s tone, he realized, was one of anger and hurt. He’d explained that he had to take his drunk friend home and they all knew that he cared too much for anything to just be casual between himself and Sebastian.

They soon reached the choir room and Blaine locked the door before turning around as Kurt asked, “If this is about last night, I’m sorry. My friend was in trouble. I couldn’t just leave him.”

“Your friend whose ringtone is an extremely inappropriate song. Whose name you won’t even tell me.” Blaine took a deep breath before continuing. “Your friends thought I could help you get over whatever that was yesterday. All I know is that something happened in Paris two summers ago, you had a flashback, and then you run off to help this friend of yours.”

“I know that this is all crazy and we don’t always get along. I mean, I can’t stand hanging around him for long periods of time, but we look out for each other.” Kurt sighed as he stared at his boyfriend. “The others don’t like him, but they understand that I can’t just leave him. He’s an idiot and he doesn’t always make the best choices.”

“That’s what I mean, Kurt. They know this guy, I don’t. I don’t even know his name. You call him a whore and an idiot.”

“So what do you want me to do? Stop seeing him? Blaine, I can’t-”

“Decide, Kurt. I’m sick of playing second fiddle to some guy you used to have feelings for.”

Kurt opened his mouth before closing it, trying to figure out what to say. He couldn’t admit that his friend was Sebastian, who he so vehemently insisted he disliked. He couldn’t tell Blaine that he couldn’t exactly stop seeing Sebastian especially with Anna’s propositions for him.

The bell suddenly rang, signaling everyone to begin heading to class. The two boys, however, remained standing across from each other in silence. Eventually, Blaine walked out of the room, leaving Kurt with a look that was almost identical to that of a kicked puppy.

*

_“Just let me talk to him,” Sebastian’s voice drifted from the doorway._

_Kurt was currently curled up on the couch, staring off into space. He’d been on auto-drive since they’d left the meeting. He had worked himself tirelessly the entire day and was keeping quiet. The only time he spoke was when he was asked a direct question._

_“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” Olivia snapped._

_“Says you?”_

_Kurt stood up, walking over to the door with a frown on his face. He stared at Sebastian, who looked like he’d run his fingers through his hair enough times that it was no longer perfect. He looked a mess for someone who didn’t care about relationships._

_“Go away, Sebastian,” Kurt stated._

_“We need to talk.”_

_He hesitated as soon as those words were said. He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to Sebastian. He knew he had to, but he wanted to at least have time before. He was hoping Sebastian would take his lack of response about going clubbing as his saying that he didn’t want to talk._

_“My room,” he stated, walking towards said room._

_As soon as Sebastian walked in, Kurt closed the door and locked it, watching the other boy look around. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to say, nor was he sure how things would turn out. It had already been a month since they’d started as “friends with benefits” and they had become pretty close. At least close enough that they went out and partied almost every night or ate in together if Kurt was too tired._

_“Kurt, I-”_

_“Sebastian, I get it,” Kurt stated with a frown. “We’re not friends and your mother doesn’t know what you get up to. I just thought we were friends at the very least.”_

_“Will you shut up for just a moment?” Kurt stared in surprise at the outburst. “I should have told my mom that I’d at least met all of you before.” He walked forward and pressed Kurt against the wall, pressing his lips harshly. “Now, we have a bed and you are wearing too much clothes.”_

_“You’re an asshole,” Kurt snapped, shoving him away. “You think you can come and say that you’ve done something wrong and think that makes everything disappear. Things aren’t that simple, Sebastian.”_

_“What do you want me to do? I’ve said sorry.”_

_“Just give me time. I’ll… call you or something.”_

_Sebastian put his hand on the door, though he didn’t open it. Kurt stared at the boy and waited for him to leave. He fully expected Sebastian to leave and never hear from him again. They were only supposed to be fuck buddies so why would he care if they were fighting, right?_

_“Let’s go to Le Showcase,” Sebastian suddenly stated._

_Kurt just rolled his eyes and questioned, “Why would I go with you after I told you I didn’t want to see you for a while?”_

_“Because you can get drunk and I can find a new guy to fuck if you’re not going to put out.”_

_“Fine. You need someone to drive you home when you get drunk and you’re not exactly the smartest person under the influence.”_

_“I resent that.”_

_“Sure you do,” Kurt muttered to himself, grabbing his jacket from the desk chair._

*

He stood in the hall outside the choir room, staring at his phone. He wanted to go in and tell Blaine that he wasn’t going to talk to Sebastian anymore. He wanted to skip Glee and spend his night thinking things through. He wanted to talk to Emily and Olivia – the two who approved of his relationship with Sebastian – about everything that was happening.

“Hey, man,” Finn said as he walked over to his stepbrother. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kurt answered as his phone began going off as Blaine walked towards them. He looked down to see that it was Emily. “Em?”

“Hey, Kurtsie. You mind explaining to me why I got a call from Celeste yelling at me in French about a meerkat who can’t keep it in his pants?”

“I think she’s more upset that I got offered a position working for Anna after college than she is about him.”

“What? When did you see Anna? When did she offer you a position? Why didn’t you call as soon as this happened?”

“It was six in the morning here, Em. You were in class. Besides, it wasn’t really anything. She just helped me get my priorities in order.”

“Like a hot French boy you’ve met up with again?”

“I have a boyfriend, Em.” He looked to see Mr. Schuester walking towards him. “Hey, I’ve got show choir practice. Can I call you tonight?”

“Call me as soon as you can. I want to know the dirty that’s happened.”

“I hate you. I’ll call you when I meet up with the rest of the gang. Oh, and I was invited to a show at the start of the year.”

Kurt hung up and walked into the choir room with a small smile on his face. He sat in the back as far from Blaine as he possibly could. He wanted time to think about everything. He decided to take that time to text Olivia, when he noticed a message he hadn’t seen before.

Have you applied for Parsons?

He bit his cheek, hiding a smile as he replied: I’ve been working on it. I’ll have the app sent this week.

“So, you sent your application to NYADA, right?” Rachel asked, capturing his attention. “Because it has to be sent by next week.”

“I’m thinking about Parsons more actually,” he answered, getting a scandalous gasp from her. “You know I like fashion, Rachel. I even did a summer internship in Paris.”

“But NYADA’s our dream.”

“No, it’s your dream.” Everyone turned to stare at him after his outburst. He stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you guys later.” He turned to Finn with an apologetic look. “Tell Dad and Carol that I’m staying with Max again tonight.”

With that, he walked out, sending a text to Danielle to pick him up. He knew that it would take a couple minutes so he decided to go to his locker and grab his sketchpad he’d been using all day to sketch out some new designs. No one knew about the pad, but it was one of his most prized possessions.

“Look what we have here,” a voice said with a laugh.

All of a sudden, he was slammed into a locker before looking up to see some football player. The pad slid across the floor, reaching the foot of one of the jocks. His eyes widened as he watched as a water bottle was emptied on top of the book.

“Awe what’s wrong?” One of the jocks laughed. “Is the little girl sad we destroyed her diary?”

He could feel tears threatening to spill as he took off, leaving the book where it was. He just had to get out of there before he did something he would regret. He was always a pacifist, but that was more because he knew that he could hurt someone. While he was in France as well as after, he’d begun taking defense classes and he’d effectively been in Dalton’s fight club as well once he’d transferred.

“Kurt?” he heard Blaine ask.

“Leave me alone,” he snapped in anger, shoving past his boyfriend.

As soon as he reached the doors leading out to the parking lot, he saw the car waiting against the curb. He ran as fast has he could, letting his tears finally spill as soon as the door was thrown open.

“Kurt?”

“Just go,” he muttered, feeling like his whole world had finally come crashing down.


	11. Ten

“I’m going to kick that kid’s ass,” Emily stated with a scowl from where her and Olivia’s images showed via skype video on Danielle’s laptop. “Who the hell does he think he is?”

“Em, calm down,” Olivia calmly said, taking the referee position on the topic. “This isn’t going to make anything better.”

“It makes me feel better.”

Kurt frowned as sat on the bed with Danielle and Celeste on either side of him. They were sitting in the hotel room with Lucas and Max sitting to the side.

When he’d jumped into the rental car where Danielle was waiting, she’d had to stop the car and make him explain what had happened. He had been in tears, but when he explained the ultimatum Blaine had given him it had become full-blown sobs. It all finally felt completely real as it spilled out of his mouth.

“No one’s going to kill anyone,” Max sighed, looking at Kurt. “I don’t agree with what happened, but it’s up to Kurt to deal with it.”

“So he said this because you have a friend you ditched him helped out?” Olivia asked. “I’m sorry but I have to agree with Em that this is all bull shit. So this kid doesn’t know about Sebastian or anything Kurt did in Paris. It’s not like my girlfriend knows every little thing that happened in my life.”

“Wait,” Danielle said with a grin on her face. “Since when do you have a girlfriend?”

Kurt couldn’t bring himself to laugh at Olivia’s face that had gone red in embarrassment. He was still thinking about the sketchpad that was ruined beyond repair. Over a year of designs ruined in less than ten seconds. He’d put everything he had, all of his heart, into those designs.

There was a knock on the door and the two boys excused themselves to answer it. Kurt watched Emily stared at the screen before saying, “There’s something besides what your stupid boyfriend said. What are you keeping from us?”

“And while you’re at it, what did this stupid boyfriend of yours say?” Kurt turned to see Sebastian leaning against the doorframe. “Hey, Gay Face.”

“What are you doing here?” Kurt’s voice was quiet and rough from all the crying.

“Wait, is that my favorite Meerkat?” Emily asked, her voice excited as she bounced up and down. “Get over here, Sebastian.”

The boy walked over, nudging Kurt’s feet. He curled them up as he sat up, wrapping his arms around Sebastian’s shoulders. He missed being with everyone including Sebastian. This was what life should be like – his friends all there with him when he was down.

“What happened, Kurt?” Danielle asked. “You were in tears when you got in the car.”

“Just some stupid jocks,” Kurt muttered with a frown. “It’s nothing.”

“I haven’t seen you cry like that since…” Olivia cut herself off, no words needed to say what she was thinking.

*

_“Hey, come on,” Olivia said with a grin as she walked into Kurt’s room with an open beer bottle in her hand. She held it out to the boy with an encouraging look. “You’re missing a fun party. This is the last night we’re all together before Max, Em, and I all leave for the states tomorrow. You’ve still got one more week with your boy toy.”_

_Kurt accepted the bottle but didn’t take a sip. He didn’t want to go out and celebrate the end of the internship with his friends. He didn’t want to admit that this would all be over and he’d be back in small-town Ohio in seven days. He didn’t want to leave this place where he had friends and no one cared if he walked down the street holding hands with another boy._

_“I’m not in the mood to party,” Kurt muttered. “Just… go have fun, Liv. Don’t let me ruin your last night.”_

_“Okay,” Olivia sighed, nudging his legs so she could sit down. “What’s wrong? I’m not going back to the party without an explanation.”_

_“I don’t want to go back,” Kurt whispered as a tear slid down his cheek. “I feel like I actually belong here, with all you guys. When I get back, I’ll be the queer high school kid who gets bullied and can’t do anything about it. No one understands me there.”_

_“Oh, Kurt.” He was pulled into Olivia’s arms as he broke down. “You know we’ll all still be there for you. Maybe not right next door, but you’ve got skype and our numbers. We’ll talk all the time and you know that you can call any of us whenever you need to.” He nodded as he buried his head in his friend’s arm. “That’s not all, is it? It’s also about our meerkat friend, isn’t it?”_

_“I don’t want to forget about him. He says he doesn’t want commitment, but-”_

_“Didn’t he take you out to those restaurants and goes to you whenever he needs a friend?” He nodded. “That boy is in denial. We can all see it in both your eyes. He’s going to be screwed over as much as you are when you leave for Ohio. He’ll come running back to you in no time, you’ll see.”_

*

“What did Blaine say to you?” Sebastian demanded.

“He-he said to pick between you and him,” Kurt whispered as he stared at the other boy’s back. “Well, not you exactly, but you as in who I’ve been texting and going out to take care of.”

“So he’s pissed because you’re paying someone else more attention than him?” He didn’t say anything, just tightening his grip around Sebastian’s chest. “Well, if he wants, I can start sexting you.” Kurt playfully smacked his shoulder. “So, I assume you’ll be the good little boy and stop talking to me?”

Kurt buried his face in Sebastian’s shoulder, knowing that he had to answer that one. Sebastian was well aware that he wouldn’t be cut out of his life if they could help it. There was so much that he loved about Sebastian and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them to stop their friendship or whatever it was they had.

“You could always change his name to Anna,” Emily teased, making everyone laugh.

“Yeah, that would work if I wasn’t already talking to Anna quite a bit recently.” Sebastian turned around to gaze at him curiously. “She invited me to stay last night when you were drunk and she made me breakfast after catching me trying to sneak out.”

“And, pray tell, what did you talk to my mother about?”

“Well, she thanked me for looking out for you,” Kurt teased with a grin on his face. “We talked a bit about fashion and she reminded me that I loved it enough to go to college for it. Then she said that she wanted me to work for her after college and she invited me to a fashion show next month.”

“So you had a good day and your boyfriend ruined it,” Olivia said with a frown. “Sounds like Danny and Max’s relationship.”

“Hey!”

Kurt couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “It wasn’t just that,” he admitted, putting his chin on Sebastian’s shoulder so he could look at the computer screen. “I had my sketch book and some idiot jocks shoved me into a locker so I dropped it.” He felt Sebastian’s shoulders stiffen, making him grip the boy’s middle again. He wanted to assure the boy that he was okay. “It slid across the floor and they… they poured a bottle of water on it. It had sketches from France and when I went to Dalton and…”

“I’m going to kill them.” Kurt fell onto the bed in surprise as Sebastian stood up. “They had no right-”

“Kurt, did the teachers-?”

“They don’t care,” Kurt muttered with a frown as Sebastian stared at him with his ‘no-one-messes-with-people-I-care-about’ scowl; the one Kurt had only seen twice before. “I mean, Coach Sylvester probably would because she has a soft spot for me, but the others… even our choir director doesn’t do anything about it. You’re gay, too bad, it’s going to be hard, right?”

“No. It shouldn’t be like that.”

“I agree, but there’s nothing any of us can do,” Emily sighed. “I mean, short of getting Kurt transferred to that private school you went to last year.”

Sebastian’s expression softened slightly as he said, “I have to get back to Dalton. I have a test in Latin Monday.” He leaned over and kissed Kurt, who enjoyed the touch he’d been missing for so long. “I’ll call you later? And please don’t tell my mother any incriminating things if you insist on speaking with her.”

“Oh, I’ll be sure to tell her all about what happened at the Eiffel tower.”

He laughed as Sebastian sent him a warning glare before leaving the room.

*

Kurt walked through the halls of Dalton alone, wondering why Headmaster Lawson would ask him to come to Dalton as soon as possible. He’d gotten a call from his dad telling him that he’d be excused from school to drive all the way to Westerville.

“Kurt.” He turned to see David walking towards him through the crowd of students who had just been let out of class. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh, Lawson called and asked me to come in,” he answered. “I’m as confused as you are.”

“Lawson?” Lawson was Dalton’s headmaster and was not a nice guy if you didn’t keep up with the academy’s standards. He and Kurt walked a finite line between acceptance and downright loathing, which wasn’t unknown to the Warblers. “What would Lawson want you for?”

“No idea.” They walked up the main staircase, none of the students from the last year giving him a second glance. “Don’t you have class or something?”

“Warbler practice, but I’ll be fine. As long as Wes hasn’t made some sort of spontaneous trip from Harvard, I don’t think we’ll have a problem.”

Kurt just laughed at that, understanding what David meant. Wes Montgomery had been a good guy so long as you showed up to rehearsal on time and worked your hardest. To him, the Warblers were more important than school at times, but he only wanted their group to be the best.

The boys arrived at the headmaster’s office to find Nick and Jeff coming out with embarrassed looks on their faces. Kurt couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his lips at their faces. The Warblers had a bet going on how long it would take them to own up to their feelings towards the other and, by the looks on their faces, they’d been caught admitting their feelings.

When they saw the public school boy standing in front of them, though, their embarrassed looks were replaced by ones of confusion.

“Hey, Kurt,” Jeff quietly said with a blush still on his face.

“Hummel.” The four boys all jumped at Headmaster Lawson’s voice. “My office. Now.”

Kurt turned away from his friends and walked into the office. It hadn’t changed at all since the past year and he was glad for it. At least not everything had changed and he was hoping this would be a good visit.

“Sit.” He did as he was told without a second thought. “Your father has agreed to the terms we discussed so long as you agree as well.”

“Sir?”

“An extremely generous benefactor of ours has put together a scholarship for a potential student who excels beyond our expectations here at Dalton.”

“I-I don’t understand, sir.”

“If you accept this scholarship, you will be able to attend Dalton your final year on a full scholarship. You’re a bright student, Mr. Hummel, even if you attempt to walk the boundaries of the school’s dress code. Dalton would be extremely pleased to have you back in our halls.”

Kurt sat frozen in front of the headmaster. He hadn’t even considered applying for a scholarship from Dalton, especially since they were so far and few in between. This benefactor, whoever they were, probably weren’t considering him when they came up with this scholarship.

If he chose it, he’d be away from his friends and Blaine. It was his fault Blaine was at McKinley in the first place after all. But he’d be away from the jocks and he had Sebastian, Nick, Jeff, and the other Warblers at Dalton. He wouldn’t have to worry about being picked on for being different. This was his safe haven.

“Well, Mr. Hummel?”

“I…”


	12. Eleven

“I accept.”

Headmaster Lawson flashed a rare smile at him that Kurt hadn’t seen since he first showed up at Dalton with his dad. At least he had a chance to get on the headmasters good side again. This time, he also wasn’t going to focus on boys, only school and the Warblers.

“Here is the information you’ll need,” Headmaster Lawson said, handing over a folder and a new handbook. “I expect you in classes Monday, Mr. Hummel.” Kurt nodded with wide eyes, shocked. “Now, I believe the Warblers are rehearsing. Feel free to reacquaint yourself with the school.”

“Thank you so much, sir,” Kurt said with a bright grin on his face. “I won’t let you down.”

Taking off towards the senior commons, Kurt made sure no one was in the halls before taking off at a run with a grin on his face. He couldn’t believe that he had received a full scholarship to Dalton. Not even his fight with Blaine or the jocks from McKinley would ruin his happy mood at the moment.

As soon as he reached the bottom of the staircase, he slowed to a walk. He could hear the Warblers arguing over something that Kurt figured had to do with Regionals or, god forbid, practicing over the holidays – Wes had been extremely fond of that.

He reached the door and leaned against the frame with a smirk on his face at seeing Sebastian at the council’s table with Thad and David. He could only imagine what his friend had done to get that position. He sat on Thad’s right, indicating that he held the least power, but at least he was on the council.

“I understand what everyone is saying,” David spoke over the group, getting everyone’s attention. “But we’d need a countertenor to make it work and no boy at Dalton is one.”

“Who says no boy at Dalton is a countertenor?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow as he called attention to himself. “I’m pretty sure I’m one unless my voice magically changed overnight.”

The boys who Kurt had gone to school with the year before all crowded him, welcoming him back. He’d truly missed the guys who had become some of his closest allies at the all-boys academy.

“What did Lawson want?” David asked. “You made it out in one piece so that’s a good thing, right?”

He glanced up at Sebastian, who raised an eyebrow in question; his “I’m-up-to-something” smirk was in place. He rolled his eyes at his friend as he explained, “You are looking at the newest transfer to Dalton Academy. I’m not officially in class until Monday, but I can start moving in immediately.”

“You’re back?” Trent asked in shock.

He just nodded as he walked over to Sebastian and leaned over, whispering, “You did something.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Thank you,” Kurt muttered, giving him a slight smile. “Oh and Anna now knows about the Arc de Triomphe incident.” Sebastian swiped at him, making him laugh as he moved over to the window. “So, what song are we singing?”

“Sebastian, your last class is study hall, isn’t it?” Thad asked, getting a nod in response. “Why don’t you take Kurt back to Lima to clear out his locker? The sooner we get him back here, we can plan Regionals a lot better.”

“Alright, Gay Face, let’s go.” Kurt just shook his head with a smile as Sebastian stood up. He watched his friend look towards Nick and Jeff. “You’re both coming with us. I don’t think I’ll be able to stand the stench of public school alone.”

*

_“Why are we here?” Sebastian groaned as they stepped out of the cab._

_“Because you wanted to bring me to the Arc de Triomphe and insisted on coming. It’s not my fault you’re hung over.”_

_It was true. Sebastian had insisted on using Kurt’s day off to take him to the Arc de Triomphe. Even hung over, he’d woken Kurt up and forced him out of the apartment with seemingly no headache until they reached the sun when Sebastian instantly started complaining._

_It was early in the morning, which meant that not many people were out yet. The two boys were holding hands as they walked through, Kurt smiling to himself. It was only five days until the end of the internship and one week after until he had to return to Ohio. At least he could forget about the place he never wanted to return to for a few hours._

_“This is so amazing.”_

_Sebastian nodded, when Kurt suddenly noticed his pale face. He watched as the boy covered his mouth before puking on the Arc. He couched, kneeling down as Kurt put a hand on his back to comfort him. He looked completely miserable._

_“You okay?” Kurt asked as he helped the boy up. “You look like crap.”_

_“I can’t believe I just did that,” Sebastian muttered as they stumbled from the Arc. “I just puked on the Arc de Triomphe.”_

_“I can’t believe you insisted on coming here,” Kurt laughed as they sat down at a small café. “You had a hangover and you still…”_

_“You have two weeks and our agreement is null and void. I’m going to monopolize you as much as I can.” Kurt rolled his eyes as the waitress brought two cups of coffee. “Oh, and my mom wants to have dinner with the both of us tonight.”_

_Kurt froze with his hand millimeters from his cup. He couldn’t go out to dinner with both Sebastian and Anna. Sure, he went out to dinner with her and the rest of the interns, but he wasn’t sure about this. When he was with Sebastian, he acted different than he did when he was at work. No, this was extremely bad._

_“If you don’t want to, I can tell my mom-”_

_“It-it’s fine,” he stuttered. “I-I can do this. But this means no hands under the table.”_

_“It’s my mother. I think I know how to act, Gay Face.”_

_“And yet you act like a sex fiend around everyone who isn’t your mother.” He just grinned at that, making Kurt shake his head with a laugh. “You’re ridiculous. If this goes completely wrong, I’m pinning it all on you.”_

_“You still love me.”_

_“You’re still my little meerkat.”_

_“You know I’m anything but little.”_

_Kurt rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything in response._

*

“At least school’s out,” Kurt sighed as they pulled into the nearly empty McKinley High parking lot. “Hopefully we can sneak through without the Glee Club finding out.”

The group all walked into the school as Jeff asked, “Why did we have to go again?”

“Sebastian seems to have the opinion that public school has some sort of stench,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “Oh and he doesn’t want to accept the fact that we’re friends.”

“You won’t give me my benefits. Therefore, we can’t be friends.”

Kurt snorted at that as they arrived at his locker. He began to pull everything out, placing it in the bag he had with him. They were silent, the boys standing in silence as if they were bodyguards, which Kurt wouldn’t deny. Sebastian probably told them about what had happened the day before with the jocks.

“Porcelain.” Kurt stiffened before turning to see Sue Sylvester. “Do you mind explaining why you brought your club’s enemies to the school?”

“We’re just leaving, Coach Sylvester,” Kurt said with a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Wait, this is the coach who had you in a cheer uniform and singing in French for fourteen minutes?” Sebastian asked. “I bow to your ability to force Gay Face into a polyester cotton uniform.” Kurt hit him, making him laugh. “Sorry, Gay Face, but even my mom said that you looked good in it.”

“I can’t believe Anna saw that,” Kurt groaned as he closed his locker.

“Well, Porcelain? I’m still waiting for an explanation.”

“I, um, I’m leaving McKinley. Again. I got a full scholarship to Dalton so I can finish up my final year without worrying about the bullies.”

“Well, Porcelain, I will admit I was going to ask you to rejoin my Cheerios.”

“Sorry, Coach.” He looked at the three boys with a grimace. “Let’s go before we get cornered by Rachel Berry and the inquisitorial squad.”

They reached the choir room to find New Directions all talking. Kurt motioned to the guys to go without him before walking in with his bag over his shoulder. Everyone looked at him as he walked over to Finn without paying any attention to the others.

“How’d the interview go?” his brother asked.

“I got it,” Kurt answered with a sad smile. “It wasn’t even really an interview, but I got it. I think I’m going to stay the night and then tomorrow, we’ll start moving my things.”

“What’s going on?” Will Schuester asked.

“I’ll see you and Sam at home tomorrow,” Kurt told Finn as they hugged. “I’m going to stop by the house to pick up some things before we head back to campus.”

“We’ll help you move,” Sam spoke up with a grin. “I want to see this place.”

“You’re moving?”

Kurt looked up at the realization that everyone was now listening to their conversation. He glanced over to see Blaine’s hurt look before forcing himself to look away. He still hadn’t forgiven his boyfriend for their fight the day before and he didn’t want to bring it up.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Is Finn going too?”

“But we just got Sam back.”

“It’s just me.” He looked at Finn with a sad smile. “I had an interview today for a scholarship. I’m leaving Lima and moving in with a friend of mine.” He avoided Blaine’s gaze as he said this. “I’ll still be back every weekend or so to see everyone. I just… I need to focus on school and I can’t do that here.”

“When do you start this new school?”

“Monday.”

“Will you sing one more song?” He looked at Brittany, who had a look similar to a lost puppy. “As a goodbye.”

“I’ll be back,” he assured the blond cheerleader. “And I’ll talk to you on the phone, okay? All the time.”

With that, he walked over to the band and told them what he wanted to sing. They all looked incredulously at him before nodding in agreement.

_He wakes up haunted with voices in his head_   
_Nobody knows it but today he won't go unnoticed_   
_He can't forget_   
_Can't forgive for what they said_   
_He's never been so hurt but_   
_Today the screaming is over_

_Blame the family_   
_Blame the bully_   
_Blame it on me_   
_Maybe he needed to be wanted_   
_Blame the family_   
_Blame the bully_   
_Maybe he needed to be wanted_

_She takes the long way home_   
_Fighting her emotions_   
_She's a loner but tonight_   
_She won't go unnoticed_   
_If she can't remember_   
_When she loses her temper_   
_Nobody knows her but tonight_   
_The silence is over_

_Blame the family_   
_Blame the bully_   
_Blame it on me_   
_Maybe she needed to be wanted_   
_Blame the family_   
_Blame the bully_   
_Blame it on me_   
_Maybe she needed to be wanted_

_Blame the family_   
_Blame the bully_   
_Blame it on me_   
_Maybe they needed to be wanted_   
_Blame the family_   
_Blame the bully_   
_Blame it on me_   
_Maybe they needed_   
_To be wanted_

Everyone was silent as he walked out of the choir room and towards the doors where his future awaited. Whatever it was, he couldn’t wait to find out. He had a good idea of what he wanted out of life for the first time in a long while and it didn’t even matter that he was stuck in Ohio anymore.


	13. Twelve

“Thanks for helping me, guys,” Kurt said as the group of boys stood outside the door of the Hudson-Hummel house. Jeff, Nick, David, and Sebastian had driven out to Lima with him to help pack up his room. “This is a lot easier than making multiple trips.”

“No problem,” David answered with a smile. “It’s the least we can do for our favorite countertenor.”

“I’m your only countertenor.”

The boys all laughed as they walked inside to find Carol cooking breakfast. She insisted on all of them having some, which meant a group of guys wolfing down some eggs, bacon, and French toast. They all made small talk about Dalton and filled Kurt in on which teachers to look out for.

“Hunter’s still there?” Kurt asked incredulously as he stared at David, who had told him about the teacher’s continued dislike of the choir. Well, it was more than just the boys, but mostly them. “I’m going to die.”

The boys all flinched at that as Sam and Finn walked in with Puck trailing behind. The boy with the Mohawk looked at the group before shrugging and taking a seat next to Kurt. He’d obviously been told where Kurt was transferring and, unlike his stepbrother, Kurt could trust the boy.

“What exactly happened between you and Blaine?” Puck asked after he’d woken up some. “He looked lost when you said that you were transferring. He also refused to talk when we asked about it.”

“We got into a fight,” Kurt answered with a shrug. “I have a friend from France he doesn’t know about and he got mad that I left him with the guys so I could go help my friend the other night.”

“The man whore?” Finn wondered. Everyone stared at him in shock as Kurt bit his lip to fight back laughter. “That’s what you all call this friend of yours.”

“From France?” Nick asked, sending a glare to Sebastian before turning back to the newest Dalton transfer. “We didn’t know about this friend.”

“It’s not a big deal. I ran into him a couple weeks ago and we’ve been talking. It’s not like we’re dating or anything.”

The boys all eventually went upstairs to help Kurt pack. Surprisingly, he spent more time figuring out which sketch books to take than what clothes. He wanted to focus his attention more on the designing aspect again and what was the point of taking a bunch of extra clothes if he was going to be stuck in the uniform again? He would take some clothes, of course, especially for when Sebastian pulled him to some gay bar, but that would be about it.

As they began packing up the Navigator and the back of David’s truck, a car pulled up to the curb. Kurt glanced over, his eyes widening as he saw Rachel and Blaine. He didn’t want to admit what was happening or that he’d talked Blaine into transferring only to return to Dalton himself.

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked as she got out. “Finn told me he was helping you move. I thought I’d see if I could offer any assistance.”

“W-what are you doing here?” Kurt asked, looking between them as panic began to rise in him. “And together?”

“We met up at the Lima Bean,” Rachel explained with a shrug as Blaine continued to stare at him with a heartbroken expression. “He offered to give me a ride.”

“Last one, Kurt. Where do you want…?” Kurt looked up to see David standing with a box in his arms. “Hi, Blaine.”

“David,” Blaine replied, finally speaking. “What are you doing here?”

“You can just leave that there,” Kurt told the council member with a frown on his face. “Could you let the others know that we’re just waiting for Max and then we’ll go? He’ll be here soon.”

“Yeah.” He put a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, encouraging him. “We’ll be right inside.”

Once he left, Kurt told Rachel to go inside and find Finn, which left him alone with Blaine. They were both silent as they stared at each other. Kurt didn’t want to say anything that would hurt his boyfriend, but at the same time, he wanted to show Blaine that he couldn’t tell Kurt what to do.

“Why is David here?”

“He, uh, offered to help me pack.” He glanced down the street, hoping to see Max coming down the street.

_Devil with a blue dress_   
_Blue dress blue dress_   
_Devil with a blue dress on_

Kurt pulled his phone out with an apologetic look. “Hi, Anna.”

_“Kurt, have you heard from ‘Bastian? He’s not answering his phone.”_

“I think he was saying he left it back in his dorm. Do you want to talk to him?”

_“Just have him call me when he has a chance. I just wanted to know if he spoke to you about having dinner with your family next week when I’m in town.”_

“Oh, yeah. My dad should be back Thursday night so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

_“That’s wonderful. Are you bringing anyone else? Sebastian told me that you had a boyfriend now.”_

Kurt glanced at Blaine. “No, it’ll just be me, Dad, Carol, and Finn. The rest of the guys are heading back up to New York tomorrow.”

_“Give Danielle my number. I would love to see them before Celeste returns to Paris.”_

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

_“And don’t forget to bring your sketches to dinner, Kurt. I want to see your designs.”_

“I’ll bring something. Should I also bring some desert? You’re cooking, it would be the least I could do.”

 _“I wouldn’t say no to your deserts.”_ There was something muffled in the background. _“There’s a problem with one of our designs. I’ll talk to you soon, Kurt.”_

“Bye.” He hung up as Max pulled the car up. “Hey, bad timing. You literally just missed Anna. She says that she wants to have lunch with you all in New York before Celeste goes back to Paris.”

“Is your boyfriend coming to lunch with us?” Danielle asked, glancing at Blaine. “It’s an open invitation.”

“Nous partons sans vous!” Celeste called, poking her head into the house.

Kurt just laughed as he heard Sebastian shout a few choice words in French. He didn’t even think about how Blaine would react until the door opened and Nick walked out, shoving Sam with a laugh. Jeff followed with an eyeroll and the rest of the guys followed them out with grins.

“Hey, man,” Finn said as he saw Blaine. “You and Kurt make up?”

“We’ve got to go,” David said, looking at Kurt pointedly. “Especially if we’re going to get food and get your things inside before curfew.”

“If not, we can crash at Sebastian’s,” Kurt teased with a grin. “I don’t think his mom would mind.”

“That’s because you’ve somehow got my mother under your spell, Gay Face.” Kurt shoved past him playfully and walked over to Danielle, who wrapped an arm around him. “Are we going or do we need to finish throwing out your girl clothes?”

Kurt just rolled his eyes as Nick asked, “Who’s going with who? David’s right. We need to go.”

“We’re going with Kurt,” Nick volunteered, grabbing Jeff’s arm. “If Blaine’s coming, he can go with Puck and Sam.”

“I have to drive the Navigator,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “It only seats two with all the boxes.”

“You and Sebastian then.” Kurt looked towards Sebastian, who shrugged.

“How about I take Danielle? And the rest of you can do whatever you want.” Danielle squeezed him tighter with a grin still on her face. “Let’s go.”

*

_“So, Kurt?” Anna asked as they sat around a small table at a fancy restaurant. “How did you and Sebastian meet?”_

_“We all went exploring the city not long after we got here,” Kurt answered with a blush on his cheeks as he glanced at Sebastian who was sitting next to him. The boy’s face was schooled into an emotionless expression as he took a sip of water. “We all ended up at the same place and Sebastian and I started talking.”_

_Well, maybe talking wasn’t the right word. There was no way he was telling a designer he admired that the first time he’d met her son, they’d had sex within the first half hour of meeting. She would never know anything about that night besides that they met and started talking._

_“We’re just friends, Mom,” Sebastian sighed, rolling his eyes. “It’s not a big deal. Besides, it’s not like Kurt and I will be talking after he leaves for the states.”_

_“And why not? Your father’s in Ohio, Sebastian. You could go out to dinner or see a movie.”_

_“Dad’s in Cleveland and Kurt’s in hicktown. No offense.”_

_“None taken.”_

_“I’m not driving three hours just to see some guy I hung out with over the summer.”_

_“Uh-huh. And who’s going to keep you safe when you’re out drinking with your fake ID?” Kurt couldn’t hide the snicker that escaped his mouth at Sebastian’s blush and babbling, trying to deny his mother’s statement. “Don’t bother trying to deny it, Sebastian. I know all about the ID.”_

_Sebastian’s glare turned on Kurt, who just held his hands up in surrender. He was surprised that Anna hadn’t demanded him to hand over the card, but he wasn’t going to say anything. There was nothing to be said about the fact that Kurt hoped Sebastian would visit him in Ohio after the summer. There was no reason to make a comment about wanting to keep in contact._

_None of it mattered, right? After all, they weren’t actually dating._

*

“I can’t believe we actually did that,” Danielle laughed as they all sat around at some French restaurant that was halfway between Lima and Westerville. “That shirt cost him a good three hundred.”

“And it was one of a kind,” Max pointed out. “I think Anna made it.”

“Who’s Anna?” Nick wondered.

“Yeah, Kurt’s been talking to her a lot,” Sam added.

Kurt blushed as he admitted, “Anna’s a fashion designer who was a mentor of ours in France. She flies between France and America for work and family.”

“And you just ran into her?” Blaine questioned.

“Yeah. I mean, how else would I find her again?” Kurt could feel a blush creeping up his cheeks as he shot a glance at Sebastian who was currently in a discussion with Lucas in French over whether they should have the wedding in Paris or in the country. “She’s really great, though.”

“She has a soft spot for Kurt,” Danielle input. “I mean, she’s invited him to work under her after he graduates from Parson’s.”

“If I-”

“Anna’s going to make sure you get into Parson’s. She’s one of the most famous designers in Europe. She’s also giving you a ticket to a fashion show, Kurt. Not many designers would give away a free ticket.”

Kurt slouched under the gaze of all his friends and Blaine. He wasn’t sure that he could admit how he really found Anna again. There was no way he could tell Blaine that she was Sebastian’s mother. That would mean admitting that he and Sebastian were friends. That would mean admitting that they were more than just a summer fling to each other.

“Are you joining your new school’s choir?” Kurt turned his attention to Sam. His friend – more like brother now – just shrugged in response. “You never told us if you were joining.”

“When I spoke to some of them yesterday, they were jumping over the fact that they have a countertenor. I think they might abuse me.”

“They’d abuse you?”

The three football players looked at the Dalton boys with looks of hatred, making Kurt laugh.

“High school choirs generally don’t have countertenors,” David cut in, looking seriously at the group. “It’s extremely rare. The Warblers didn’t have a countertenor for twenty years before Kurt transferred. We realized our mistake after we lost regionals that we should have used him more and shown off his talents.”

“I think I get it,” Finn muttered.

“So, how much further is this place?” Rachel asked. “You guys aren’t going the whole way?”

“We’re going to help Kurt unpack the boxes from the car then head to Cleaveland for our plane back to New York,” Danielle told the younger girl with a smile. “Oh, and I need Anna’s number, Kurt. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve missed her.”

“Je vais lui demander pour vous.” Kurt looked over in surprise at Sebastian’s words to Celeste. Up until then, he’d vaguely heard random snippets of their conversation. Those words, however, were interesting to him.

“Are those two actually getting along?” Danielle stage whispered to Kurt and Max, who both started laughing. “I swear they fight like models.”

“What’s so bad about models? They’re hot.”

Max just chuckled at that and said, “They act like they’re PMS-ing every minute that you’re around them. It makes me glad I’m a guy.”

All of the males nodded in agreement as the girls scowled. Kurt, luckily, was able to ignore them all as desert arrived. They all grinned as a plate of chocolate cake was placed in front of Kurt. This had always been his weakness when it came to French deserts: Moelleux au Chocolat.

“Kurt Hummel’s eating chocolate?” Rachel asked with wide eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you touch a piece of chocolate.”

“Shut up,” Kurt grumbled as he sliced through the rich cake and put it on his mouth, moaning as it melted behind his lips. “I missed this.”

“Do you ‘ave to do zat?” Celeste asked in disgust. “We ‘eard enough of eet in Paris.” The high school students all stared at him in shock. “What?”

“I like cake, sue me,” Kurt grumbled, rolling his eyes as he fought with all his willpower to keep the blush off his cheeks along with forcing himself to avoid Sebastian’s smirky gaze he knew was on him. “Can we talk about something else? Like how Nick and Jeff finally got together?”

And just like that, the attention was turned away, but with a silent agreement between everyone that it wasn’t the last of it. Hopefully, however, Blaine and Rachel wouldn’t be around to listen in on the conversation.

Once they’d finished their deserts, the group went out to the cars to begin the rest of their drive. He wasn’t sure about Blaine or Rachel coming, especially when he was still angry with Blaine for ordering him to stop talking to his friends via text and phone calls.

“You should head back,” Kurt told Blaine as they stood around the parking lot. “You have that AP Chemistry project with Tina you have to finish by next week.”

“We’re almost done. I can-”

“Blaine, you’re not going to let Tina down. You-”

“So you’ll let Sebastian, who you have spoken about hating for weeks, help you, but you won’t let your boyfriend?” Kurt opened his mouth to argue. “And you run off with your friends without a word? You’ve never done this before. It’s like I don’t know the real you.”

“Can we not do this now?”

“No, because you won’t tell me anything any other way.”

Kurt bit his lip, not quite sure what to say about anything. How was he supposed to argue back when people were all around them? Not everyone in their group knew that he and Sebastian were anything more than friends. David just thought that Sebastian was being nice to Kurt because of Jeff and Nick. Finn, Puck, and Sam thought the same thing.

“Can you both just get over your menstrual cycle? Some of us have curfew we don’t want to miss.”

“Shut up, Sebastian,” Kurt snapped with a scowl. “Go find some whore to get off with.”

“I would, but you’ve already said no.”

That was the last straw and everyone knew it. Max and Lucas grabbed Kurt as he lunged for the French boy, shouting things in French that should never be repeated. No one wanted to get in the way of the countertenor and Sebastian just smirked as he listened to the words.

Blaine rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever. Rachel, let’s head back.”

“Blaine, I-”

“Call me when you decide who’s my important: some guy you met two summers ago or your boyfriend.”

Once Blaine and Rachel left for Lima, Kurt was let go and rubbed his wrists with a glare at his friends. He stepped forward and stared at Sebastian with no readable expression on his face. How dare Sebastian say something like that, even if it was just a jesting remark? What if Blaine put the pieces together? If anyone from McKinley found out about him and Sebastian, he could throw his whole existence away.

A look of pleading crossed Sebastian’s eyes, though he ignored it as he pulled his fist back. The sound of a fist hitting flesh and bone echoed through the parking lot as Sebastian landed on the ground, holding his hand to his cheek. Everyone was staring in silence at the scene they were witnessing.

Kurt watched the shock appear on the French boy’s face before turning around and climbing into the Navigator without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Nous partons sans vous! – We’re leaving without you!  
> “Je vais lui demander pour vous.” – I’ll ask her for you.


	14. Thirteen

“I can’t believe you’re still not talking to Blaine or Sebastian.”

Kurt just rolled his eyes as he and Jeff walked through the halls of Dalton towards one of the multiple cafes on campus for an early morning coffee. It had been just over a week since he’d been back at Dalton and one day until finals. The boys had all been studying like mad, which meant Warbler practice was on hold and Kurt was pretty much living off of coffee and notes from the other Warblers in his classes.

“I mean, you share a dorm with Sebastian.”

“Can we not talk about Sebastian?” Kurt asked as they stepped in line behind some freshman. “I’ve got less than twenty-four hours to learn an entire semester’s worth of AP Chemistry and American Government. Why did I even agree to all these AP classes? And at the end of the semester too.”

“Breathe, Kurt,” Jeff laughed as they stepped forward. “You’ve got the notes from Thad, David, Sebastian, and the notebooks from Wes’s senior year last year.”

Kurt just laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know which is worse. The fact that Wes kept every single one of his notes from last year or the fact that he FedEx’d them here overnight when David told him I was back.” They stepped up to the counter. “Can I get a Grande non-fat mocha, a Venti soy mocha, a solo espresso, and a chocolate croissant?”

Jeff just looked shocked at everything Kurt was ordering, making the older boy laugh. Even though Jeff was a year younger, they had become good friends the past year. Of course it would look weird to see so much coffee being ordered.

As Jeff made his own order, Kurt downed the espresso and pulled out his notebook, going over the notes from his Chemistry review. With his dad as a senator, he’d learned a lot about the government recently so he was okay with it. It was the Chemistry test that worried him.

“What’s with the Venti?” Jeff asked as they walked back to the dorms. “It’s going to get cold before you drink it.”

“It’s for Sebastian.” He saw his friend’s questioning look. “Look, I may be mad at him, but he’s letting me use his notes for all our classes.”

They arrived at the dorm to find Sebastian speaking in rapid French. From what Kurt could understand, he was trying to get out of something over the holidays. When he saw the two other boys, he gave a weak smile before starting on the argument again.

“Kurt’s right here,” Sebastian spoke, breaking the language barrier for Jeff. “You want to talk to him, be my guest.” Kurt traded the phone for the Venti mocha and watched with a laugh as Sebastian made a face when he drank it. “Soy? Really?”

“Kurt Hummel,” Kurt said into the phone, letting Sebastian pout.

_“It’s Anna. I need a favor from you.”_

“Of-of course. Anything you need.”

_“Tonight after dinner, I have to head back to Paris. It seems there’s a problem with one of our designs for the fashion show next month.”_

“But that usually happens, doesn’t it?”

 _“Yes, but I would like your help with this outfit.”_ Kurt’s jaw dropped in complete shock. Anna wanted his help with a design. Anna Smythe, one of the top designers in the world, wanted his help with a design. _“You and Sebastian would leave Friday after your finals were over, of course.”_

“Are-are you sure? I mean, Celeste is back in France and there are all the other designers that work for your line too. They’d be more qualified and I haven’t even-”

_“Kurt, you’re rambling. And yes, I’m positive I want your help. Anything to get your foot in the door, right?”_

“Yes. Yes, of course. I’d love to go.”

_“Excellent. We’ll figure out the specifics tonight at dinner.”_

“Thank you, Anna. I don’t… I don’t know how to thank you.”

_“Anything for my favorite intern.”_

With that, Anna hung up and Kurt’s face brightened as he bounced on the balls of his feet only just containing his energy. He was going back to Paris for Winter break. He was going to help Anna Smythe with an outfit for her collection. Absolutely nothing could ruin his good mood.

“I get you a trip to Paris and you get me a soy mocha,” Sebastian said with an annoyed look. “Nice thank you, Gay Face.”

“Your mother got me a trip to Paris,” Kurt corrected with an eye roll of his own. “And I’m still mad at you for what you said in front of Blaine last week.”

“But-”

“You’re lucky I didn’t tell Anna about it.” That shut Sebastian up real fast. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to study for a bit before I have to get ready for dinner.”

“You know what tonight is, right?” Both boys looked at Jeff, who was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face. “Meeting the parents? You’re a couple.”

Kurt threw his shoe at the boy, who had barely managed to close the door and avoid being hit.

They sat in silence after that statement, Kurt turning to stare at the page of one of his textbooks. They weren’t a couple – couldn’t be a couple. Sebastian didn’t do couples or dating or anything even remotely related to having a relationship. Sure, there were the things he said when he was drunk, but he didn’t mean that. There was no way Sebastian meant those things.

If there was one thing Kurt was positive of, it was that Sebastian Smythe would never approve of the way he was beginning to fall for him again.

*

_Kurt stared at the condom and bottle of lube that sat on the bedside table in what looked almost like awe. Of course he knew what the items were and, of course, Sebastian had used them with him. This was his first time using them though. His first time topping._

_“Are-are you sure?” he asked, staring at his friend with a questioning look. “Are you sure you want me to-?”_

_“Damn it, Kurt. Just do it already.”_

_Kurt’s unsure look became one of annoyance as he smacked Sebastian’s shoulder. He knew that his friend wasn’t at all patient, but he would have to be. They’d planned to do this on a night where Max was going out with the girls and would be crashing at their place._

_“What was that for?”_

_“Being an ass,” Kurt answered with a teasing grin on his face. “And if you don’t stop, you’re not getting anything.”_

_“Cockblock.” Sebastian smirked as he leaned over and pressed his lips harshly against Kurt’s neck. His teeth grazed skin as the American moaned in pleasure. “Now, get that pretty ass of yours moving.”_

_“Fuck me,” Kurt breathed._

_“I thought you wanted it the other way tonight.” Kurt’s eyes opened to stare at Sebastian who was grinning as he leaned back. “Get started.”_

_Kurt just sighed as he reached over and grabbed the bottle of lube, coating it on his fingers. It was sticky and cold in the cool breeze that drifted through his bedroom window. He took a deep breath and stared down at Sebastian’s back, wondering if he could do this. He’d never topped before. He was beginning to panic._

_“Slide one finger in,” Sebastian’s voice broke through his hazed mind. “Slow.”_

_Taking a deep breath, he slid the tip of his middle finger through the tight muscle. It felt like Sebastian was trying to pull his whole finger in. He watched in awe as he slowly slid his finger in, stopping each time he got to a knuckle until his finger was all the way in._

_“Fuck,” Sebastian groaned as he buried his face in the pillow he was laying on._

_Feeling more adventurous at the outburst, Kurt began moving his finger in and out slowly building up speed. He felt Sebastian wiggle under him as he added a second and then a third finger, stretching the boy out as much as he could so it didn’t hurt._

_He pulled his fingers out, hearing Sebastian’s pleading whimpers as he wiped his hand on a towel they’d pulled out beforehand. He grabbed the condom and tore it open, rolling it on. He could do this. He would do this. He had to do this._

_“What the hell are you doing?” Sebastian demanded, pulling up onto his hands and knees. “If it’s going to take you this long, I should just flip us over and do it my-”_

_Kurt’s hands on the other boy’s hips cut off all the talking. Slowly, he moved forward, pushing the tip of the head so it pressed against the ring of muscle, but not enough to make it through._

_“Christ, Kurt. Just do it already.”_

_Taking one last deep breath, Kurt pushed in inch by agonizing inch. He whimpered as he said, “It’s too hot… too tight…”_

_“You get… used to it,” Sebastian grunted as he stayed still, keeping his body relaxed. They stayed like that for a few minutes as they both became used to the unnatural feelings. “Move.”_

_Kurt nodded before realizing that the other boy couldn’t see him. He slowly began moving back and forth, in and out, savoring the feeling around his cock. He became lost in the feelings, praying that this wouldn’t end sooner than a few moments._

_“Fuck.” Kurt jumped in surprise at Sebastian’s voice. “Again…”_

_Kurt’s nervous look turned into one of entertainment. He’d found Sebastian’s prostate and was definitely going to torture him like he’d been tortured so much. He continued to angle himself so he would continuously brush at the prostate._

_Unfortunately, that only lasted a few thrusts before he felt his balls tightening and was blinded by a white light, a feeling of ecstasy surrounding him._

_“Hummel. Gay face.” He came down from his high to see that he was on his back and Sebastian was giving him an annoyed look. “Glad you got off, but what about me?”_

_Without speaking, Kurt slowly moved, shoving Sebastian back onto the bed. He lowered down, sticking his tongue out to lick the tip of Sebastian’s cock, catching the pre-cum. He licked from the tip to the base, enjoying the moans from the other boy._

_He lifted his head, looking at Sebastian’s blissed out look before engulfing the cock with his lips. Sliding his mouth down, he felt the tip touch the back of his throat. He gagged, coughing and sputtering, as he pulled off before going down again, more careful this time. His tongue swirled around the skin, enjoying the flavor on his taste buds._

_Sebastian choking on his name was all the warning he received before he felt the other boy cum in his mouth. He pulled back, coughing and choking as the stream continued to come from the other boy. A strand hung off of Kurt’s bottom lip as he stared at Sebastian’s now blissed out look._

_He wiped off his face before cleaning them both up and throwing away the used condom. He crawled back to the head of the bed as Sebastian mumbled something incoherent._

_“Was that okay?” Kurt asked, his nerves overtaking him again._

_“It was decent.”_

_A smiled played across his lips as he closed his eyes. Decent from Sebastian was as good as he was going to get._

*

“Hey, Bud,” Burt said with a smile as he stepped out of the car with Carole and Finn. Kurt was currently standing outside with a smile on his face while Sebastian leaned in the doorway. “How’s Dalton?”

“It’s alright. Finals are just stressful.” He hugged his dad and Carole, nodding at Finn with a smile. “Dad, this is my roommate, Sebastian. Sebastian, this is my dad Burt Hummel and you’ve already met Carole and Finn.”

“Hello, sir,” Sebastian said with a polite smile as he stuck out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I apologize about what you witnessed after Kurt’s sectionals. Celeste and I know each other from Paris, though we don’t get along that well.”

Didn’t get along well? That was an understatement if Kurt had ever heard one.

They all walked inside with Sebastian assuring Burt that he was watching out for Kurt, which made the senior roll his eyes in annoyance. If anything, he was the one watching out for Sebastian who had gone out bar hopping quite a few times in the past week. Kurt would always go with him and keep him out of trouble, even while he was angry with the boy.

“Maman, Dad,” Sebastian said as they reached the doorway. “This is Kurt’s father Burt Hummel, his stepmother Carole, and his stepbrother Finn.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Anna said with a smile as she stood up and held out a hand to Burt and Carole. “I’m Anna Smythe and this is my husband Richard.”

“It’s good to see you again, Burt,” Richard said, shaking Burt’s hand. “DC treating you well?”

The group made their way to the dining room where the food was already sitting out. As they ate, the discussion went through politics, sports, school, and even a little fashion that was mostly Anna and Kurt discussing the sketches she’d shown him before the Hudson-Hummels arrived.

Once dinner was over and they’d moved to the sitting room, Kurt decided then was as good a time as any to tell his dad about the trip to Paris. He glanced over at Sebastian, who was sitting next to him but in a conversation with Finn about some sports team.

“Dad?” Burt looked at his son in question. “Um, I know it’s last minute, but I was wondering if I could go with Sebastian to Paris over the break.”

“I don’t know-”

“I was hoping to get Kurt’s input on some of my line,” Anna stepped in with her dazzling smile. “He knows his fashion and is one of the brightest interns I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I would cover all the expenses, of course, and the boys would be leaving after their finals are over.”

“And it’s not like I won’t know anyone there. I know the store’s manager and the employees and Celeste and Lucas even live just outside of Paris.”

“I have a few rules.” Kurt nodded. Anything to be able to go and he’d be alright with it. “First, no alcohol. I know you can drink at fifteen over there, but I’d like you to have a clear judgment at all times.”

“I can do that.”

“Second, you do everything Anna says. I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

“Again, I can do that.”

“Third, I want at least a call on Christmas day.”

“Of course.”

Anna looked at the clock and sighed as she stood up, saying, “I’m sorry to cut this so short, but I have to start heading to Columbus for my flight.” She kissed Richard, shook hands with Burt, Carole, and Finn, and turned to Kurt and Sebastian. The two stood up as Kurt realized they were holding hands. “You both be good. I’ll send Sebastian the itinerary.”

“Bye, Mom,” Sebastian said, pulling away from Kurt to hug his mother and kiss her cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Bastian.” She pulled Kurt into a hug next. “Good luck on your finals and keep an eye on Sebastian for me.”

“That I can do. Have a safe flight, Anna.”


	15. Fourteen

The next three days passed in a blur of finals and studying for all of Dalton. One thing Kurt enjoyed about the school was the fact they had an extra week off for winter break. That meant that they were having finals the week before McKinley and he’d had to study extra to keep up.

“If you’ve lost your passport, I’m going to punch you,” Sebastian said as he sat on Kurt’s bed.

“I haven’t lost it. I know it’s here somewhere.”

The two boys had gone to Lima as soon as classes were let out to get Kurt packed seeing as their flight was literally as soon as their last final was finished Friday. At least Kurt was packing; Sebastian just seemed to be a hindrance that insisted on commenting about absolutely everything.

“Just admit you’ve lost it and-”

“Found it!” Kurt shouted, triumphantly looking at the other boy as he held up the small item. “I told you I still had it.”

“Good for you. Can we go get coffee now before you turn me anymore into a girl?”

The smaller boy held his hand up in a rude gesture, but grabbed his bags and passport, taking the lead downstairs. They were in the living room when everything seemed to happen. Kurt was laughing at Sebastian’s complaints about their Latin final that would be the next day as the door opened. His laughter died, though, as he saw Blaine standing in the doorway with Finn, Puck, Sam, and Mike.

He froze where he stood, causing Sebastian to walk into him. He stumbled a bit before Sebastian caught him. He stared at Blaine, unable to look away. His boyfriend was staring at his school uniform, eyeing the blazer and tie that were so familiar.

“Sebastian, sweetheart,” Carole’s voice broke through the awkward silence from the kitchen. “Could I talk to you before your boys leave?”

“Yeah,” he called back before Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder. “Think you can last without me, Hummel?”

“Says the guy who’s been begging me all week to help him study for the Latin final,” Kurt teased with an eye roll. “Go see what Carole wants and then I swear I’ll treat you to coffee for putting up with my room. You owe me a meal once we land though.”

“Right after we land? Because I’m pretty sure you and jet lag don’t go together if what Olivia said is true.”

“Shut up.” He shoved Sebastian, laughing as Sebastian shoved him back. “Go or I’ll tell the Warblers about why you ditched practice last week.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would and I will. You and Jesse and-”

“I’m going.”

As soon as Sebastian left, Finn asked, “When do you guys leave?”

“We have to leave as soon as our last final. We won’t have any time to come and grab my things on Friday and tomorrow we have our last practice of the year. Sebastian decided he would come help me by sitting and groaning the entire time.”

“Yeah, your dad said you were going to spend Christmas with some friends,” Sam spoke up. “You don’t mind me taking your Navigator back to Kentucky?”

“I already told you I don’t care as long as you take care of it.”

“Where, uh, are you going?” Blaine asked, his voice sort of awkward.

“A bunch of us are going to Paris for holiday,” Kurt answered with a shrug. “Hey, can I talk to you alone?”

The two boys went up to Kurt’s room, both of them standing around awkwardly. It had been so long since they’d even been alone together. It didn’t feel right or good and he was afraid. Afraid of what Blaine thought of him now.

“You’re attending Dalton.” He nodded in agreement, not able to speak. “You should have told me. Was it Sebastian’s idea? Or one of your friends from Paris?”

“It was my choice, Blaine. It has nothing to do with Sebastian or anyone else. I’m doing this for me. I decided I want the best from my life.”

“You should have told me. Do I even mean anything to you anymore?”

Kurt stared at Blaine as tears filled his eyes. “Of course you do.” How could Blaine think that he meant nothing? Why were they fighting so much all of a sudden? “I love you, Blaine. You’re my boyfriend.”

“Well, you have a funny way of showing it.”

“Why is this about me having friends that you don’t know?” Kurt demanded, straining himself to keep his voice from rising. “I know you have friends that I don’t know either. Or is this about the fact that I have friends who don’t try to do anything to change me? That I know someone who doesn’t care if I’m not sexy, but still wants to sleep with me?”

“No, Kurt. That’s-”

“Wasn’t that your complaint last year? That I wasn’t sexy enough?”

“I was an idiot last year-”

“You’re being an idiot now!” He took a deep breath, trying to take a step back. He couldn’t do this right now. “I should be going. I promised Sebastian I’d help him study for our Latin final tomorrow.”

With that, Kurt walked out of the room, leaving his boyfriend behind. He wasn’t sure what exactly would happen, but maybe this distance would be good. They’d been connected at the hip since Regionals last year. Maybe they’d be better once they’d had some time apart to think.

Going downstairs, he found everyone standing around awkwardly. They stared at him as soon as they realized that he was there. He didn’t quite know what to think as he walked over to Sebastian, who was also staring at him in shock.

“Let’s go,” Kurt stated, grabbing his suitcase. “You’ve got Latin and I need to look over the notes for my Psych final.”

“Coming, Princess,” Sebastian sneered.

*

_Kurt laughed as he walked out of the office with Jackson, one of the designers for the company. They’d started talking a couple days before and Kurt was once again a blushing baby penguin. He hated that he was feeling like this, but he couldn’t just stop the blush from appearing whenever they spoke._

_“So I’ll see you for tea tomorrow?” Jackson asked, his British accent thick._

_“Y-yeah,” Kurt agreed, the blush still prominent on his face._

_With that, the sixteen year old ran to catch up with the others who were too far ahead of him. He smiled as his hand slipped into Emily’s. She smiled at him as they walked around the corner. They all knew that he was smitten with the designer._

_“Jailbait,” Olivia teased with a smile. “Does he even know that you’re only sixteen?”_

_Kurt shot her a glare as he said, “We’re just going out for tea. It’s not like it’s a date.”_

_“What’s not a date?”_

_Kurt jumped at the sudden voice behind him, spinning to see Sebastian looking at him with a smirk on his face. Kurt’s smile disappeared, however, as he continued to stare at the other boy._

_You can’t be with Sebastian, his mind quietly reassured his unease. You made that promise of no strings for a reason. And Going out with Jackson isn’t a date. It’s just tea._

_Oh, whom was he kidding? Kurt wanted it to be a date._

_“Kurt’s got a date with Jackson from work tomorrow,” Danielle teased._

_“It’s not a date,” Kurt repeated with the blush reappearing on his cheeks. “He invited me for tea is all. We just happen to have some things in common.”_

_“Clothes,” Celeste spoke up, her accent still as thick as ever. “Musicals, a love of the male gender.”_

_“So what if he happens to be gay?”_

_Kurt didn’t notice Sebastian’s eyes narrowing. He just felt a hand grab his that wasn’t holding Emily’s before he was being pulled in the opposite direction. The apartments were the other way, yet Sebastian was pulling him back towards the office. He could never read the French boy, feeling so much confusion as he was dragged along._

_As soon as Sebastian flagged a taxi, Kurt felt a little awkward. Why take a taxi when his apartment was so close to the shop._

_Of course, that was explained fifteen silent minutes later when they pulled up to a house just outside of Paris. It looked extremely cozy and like a cottage one would find in a fairytale. There were flowerbeds against the house along with ivy growing up the sides, making it look extremely beautiful and magical._

_“Sebast-”_

_“Just be quiet,” Sebastian snapped as they made their way through the house and to a bedroom that was obviously a boy’s. “My mother won’t be home for a few hours at least.”_

_“We’re in your house?” His voice squeaked at the idea of being caught by Anna. “But we never… you never…”_

_“Just shut up,” Sebastian hissed as he pulled Kurt’s shirt over the boy’s head. “Don’t…”_

_Sebastian pushed him onto the bed, nipping and biting the skin on Kurt’s neck. They moved together, every thought and worry disappearing from Kurt’s mind. He knew this was a bad idea and didn’t know what would happen, but he just wanted this. This was what made this summer perfect._

_His fingers quickly undid Sebastian’s belt with a familiar ease, running his hand down the abs and into the pants. He squeezed Sebastian’s bulge, his lips quirking into a smile at the moan from the other boy. He rolled them over, running the fingers of his free hand through Sebastian’s hair as he continued to play with Sebastian underneath the fabric._

_“Bastian, are you home?”_

_Kurt and Sebastian instantly jerked away as the door opened. They both stared at Anna with looks that mimicked that of deer in headlights. The watched as the designer took in the sight before smirking at them._

_“I interrupted something didn’t I?”_

_“Maman,” Sebastian groaned._

_Kurt was sure he was going to die within the next few seconds if Anna didn’t leave. He was almost positive that every drop of blood was currently in his cheeks. He couldn’t believe they’d basically been caught having sex in Anna Smythe’s house._

_“Oh, don’t mind me,” she said with a smile. “However, ‘Bastian, your dad is coming for a visit. He’ll be here tomorrow so you and Kurt won’t be able to see each other for a couple of days.”_

_“I-I should go,” Kurt muttered, grabbing his shirt._

_“Nonsense,” Anna stated. “I was planning to make dinner tonight instead of the take out Sebastian and I normally have. We’d love to have you here. Isn’t that right, Bastian?”_

_“I-I don’t…”_

_“It’s settled. Would you like me to call Max and let him know you won’t be back until late?”_

_“I-I… I mean, I can…”_

_Anna just smiled before closing the door. Kurt was still flushed in embarrassment as Sebastian groaned, falling back onto the bed. Kurt pulled his shirt on, avoiding looking at the other boy. What was there to say now that Anna had cock-blocked them?_

_“I don’t like him.” Kurt turned to look at Sebastian in question. “Jackson. I don’t like you going out with him.”_

_“You don’t …” Kurt dropped the sentence as he stared at Sebastian. The boy refused to look at him – he had noticed over the summer this meant that Sebastian didn’t want to admit what he was really feeling. “You could’ve just said something.”_

_“And miss a chance to get you naked?” There was the Sebastian he knew. “Not a chance.”_

_“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be naked with you again. I know I won’t be able to look Anna in the eye anymore.” He reached out and grabbed Sebastian’s hand. “Hey, I won’t go out with him, but I need you to tell me if something’s going on, alright?”_

*

“Alright, Princess,” Sebastian said as they pulled into the Dalton parking lot. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you? Because there’s no way I’m telling my mother that her favorite person has decided to spend holidays in hicktown Ohio instead.”

“I’m not having second thoughts,” Kurt answered with an annoyed look. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Well, come help me study for Latin or I’ll fail the class and my parents will ground me to campus.”

“Oh, that’s so terrible,” Kurt teased, instantly cheering up.

It was so strange how this boy could make him smile even when he was so upset. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time where Sebastian hadn’t purposely made him mad. That last time only a couple weeks ago, Kurt knew he hadn’t, in fact, meant to make him mad. It was just a quip to annoy him, but he probably hadn’t thought how angry Kurt would be.

“That means I can’t go to Regionals.”

“Regionals aren’t until March. And I’m pretty sure Anna will let you leave campus by then.”

Kurt left his bag in the car, laughing as he ran off towards the dorms. He was about half way between the dorms and the main school building, when he was tackled into the snow. Both boys fell into the snow, laughing as Sebastian rolled off of Kurt.

“Warbler Kurt.”

Kurt froze in fear as he looked up to see a boy in jeans and a dark coat, a light layer of snow coating his dark hair. Big Brother Warbler was back and, from the look on his face, this wasn’t going to be a pleasant meeting.

“W-Wes…”


	16. Fifteen

“W-Wes…”

This was definitely not what he expected to come back to after packing. Surely David and Thad had known that he would be coming for a visit. They could have spared five seconds to tell Kurt that the graduated Warbler was there. Wes may have been his friend, but he was also Blaine’s friend and as far as he knew, they were on excellent terms.

“Wes.” Kurt’s head snapped to see David walking over. “Hey, sorry about that. You know how crazy finals are.” The council member looked down at the two boys. “Shouldn’t you both be studying?”

“We, uh, just got back from Lima,” Kurt explained. “Why didn’t you tell us that Wes was coming?”

Before anyone could say anything, Kurt was yanked back down into the snow. He came up again with a face full of snow, glaring at Sebastian before hearing David say, “You two, over here. Now.”

The two boys in the snow looked up to see Nick and Jeff looking extremely frightened. Sure they’d all been able to get away with a little more than the last year, but now that Wes was back, David was back to being strict. Of course he had to prove that he deserved the position as head of the council.

“What were you thinking?” David questioned. “You know it’s against school rules to throw snowballs.”

“We were aiming for Kurt,” Jeff spoke up. “We’d never throw anything at either of you.”

“Why-?”

Kurt put a hand over Sebastian’s moth, shaking his head. He didn’t want his friend to get on Wes’s bad side. He’d never mentioned Wes to him and he knew that the others hadn’t either.

“I want the entire senior commons spotless before you both leave for holidays.”

“I’ll explain everything later,” Kurt whispered to Sebastian who just looked pissed. “Go grab your Latin notes and I’ll meet you in the Commons with some coffee. I’ve got to call Danny and see if she can send Anna one of my sketches for me.”

“Why does that-?”

“It’s a copy of one of the ones in that sketchbook.”

“Oh.”

There was no need to say anything else. Sebastian knew exactly which sketchbook he was talking about. There was no need for any more tears over it. It was already destroyed and nothing he did could change that as much as he wished it would.

“Do I at least get a kiss?”

Kurt just shoved him in response, getting a laugh from the French boy. He watched as Sebastian left towards the dorms before going to the main building with the rest of the boys. He listened to Wes explaining how he wanted to see his old friends and see how the Warblers were doing.

They took a seat in the senior commons as Nick asked, “What are you doing for holidays?”

“Some friend of my mom’s invited our family to spend Christmas in Paris,” Wes told the group, causing Kurt to stiffen. “She’s some designer, Anna something. I don’t know, I’ve never met her myself.”

No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Anna hadn’t invited Wes’s family to France for Christmas holidays. There had to have been a mistake, right? Maybe he heard wrong. Or maybe it was a different Anna. There had to be plenty of designers with the first name Anna right?

“I think she works for Chanel or something.”

Something slammed into Kurt, knocking him out of his shock. Looking up, he realized that nothing had slammed into him, but he had walked right into a wall. He shook his head, trying to get the embarrassment out. He couldn’t believe he had done that.

“You okay?” Jeff asked.

“Fine,” Kurt scowled, walking into the room. “Just fine.”

“So who was that boy lying in the snow with Kurt?” Wes spoke up as he leaned back in his seat.

“That’s Sebastian,” Nick answered with a grin. “He and Kurt flirt a lot, but they’re not really an item.”

“We… we do not flirt. We’re just really close friends who are just extremely comfortable together.”

“You forget my room is right next to yours.” Kurt blushed in embarrassment. “I’ve heard what you and Sebastian get up to at night.”

“What do we get up to?” Kurt turned to see Sebastian, who had his usual smirk plastered on his face. “Who made Kurt blush?”

“Maybe you could spend some time with Kurt and Sebastian?” Jeff quietly suggested. “They’ll be in France for Christmas too.”

“I’ll be in the studio all break,” Kurt stated with a frown. “Or with Celeste and Lucas, which leaves Sebastian on his own and something tells me he and Wes would kill each other within five minutes.”

“Why would we hang out together?” Sebastian questioned. “I can find perfectly good things to keep myself busy.”

“I got an e-mail from your mom saying you’re not allowed to go to clubs while we’re there and to keep you away from the alcohol.”

“She-she did not.”

Kurt couldn’t help the enjoyment he felt at watching Sebastian squirm. It wasn’t often he experienced this so he was savoring the moment. He knew that Sebastian was aware that the two were in contact, especially with the trip to Paris coming up and the fact that Kurt had been keeping Sebastian out of trouble – case in point the night Kurt drove two hours to make sure Sebastian got home okay. Sure, they’d only been discussing fashion but Sebastian didn’t have to know that. This was a good thing for the French boy.

“Kurt interned with Sebastian’s mom,” Jeff explained to Wes, who was looking lost. “That’s why they’re going to France. She asked Kurt to help her with a design.”

Kurt blushed, muttering about how he probably wouldn’t be that involved; he just wanted to go back to the office. Sebastian, of course, knew better and the other boys probably did too. They’d all seen his sketchbook out during Warbler practice and between classes. Nick and Jeff had probably even heard him snapping at Sebastian in the middle of the night about how he couldn’t get the design the way he wanted.

The rest of the boys went on to discuss Warblers while Kurt took Sebastian’s attention and focused it on Latin. At least, he tried to. It seemed that the other boy’s mind was already in Paris while Kurt was trying his hardest to not think about it.

“Come on, Sebastian,” Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes as he tried for the fifth time to get his friend to focus. “I promised that I’d help you pass your Latin final.”

“Why do I need to know Latin? I already speak French fluently.”

“You took the class. And if you get through your finals, I’ll make it worth your time.” That got his attention. It also got the attention of the rest of the boys. “We can go back to BC and I’ll buy you a Black Kiss.”

“BC?” Nick repeated.

“Black Calavados. It’s the dance club we met at the first night I was in France.”

“I was surprised they let Lady Face into the club.”

Kurt saw Wes open his mouth to tell Sebastian off, quickly butting in and responding with, “Well, I’m surprised they let a dirty meerkat in.”

“I’m confused,” Wes sighed, sitting back in his seat.

The rest of the boys laughed as they explained that the two boys always bickered and called names, but it was all fun and games.

Wes’s phone began going off, getting everyone’s attention. He stood up and left the room, giving Kurt one last glance as he asked whoever was on the other line to slow down.

Once the ex-Warbler was gone, Kurt began explaining who Wes was and why David was being so strict – they all promised to help clean the senior commons after finals the next day. Sebastian seemed interested in Wes’s standards of the Warblers, which made Kurt groan. He wouldn’t survive if he had to put up with another version of Wes in the Warblers. He loved the older boy – he was like an older brother he never had – but the Asian wanted the Warblers to be perfect to a fault.

Ten minutes later, Wes walked in, looking angry about something. He pointed at Kurt and motioned for him to follow. The senior swallowed thickly, putting his pen down and shooting David a questioning look. This definitely wasn’t good, but he had an idea of who had called Wes.

They moved into the next room, Wes closing the door behind them. Kurt sat on one of the chairs as he asked, “What-what’s going on?”

“I just got a call from Blaine saying-”

“Okay, that explains it,” Kurt stated with a scowl. “I can’t believe he called you and told you about our personal problems.”

“Kurt, he’s just-”

Kurt had enough and the bomb ticking inside of him had exploded. “You know what happened between Blaine and I? He started getting mad at me because I have a friend I haven’t seen in years. He’s mad at me because my friends and I have nicknames that aren’t the best for each other. We call one of my friend’s a whore because he acts like one, but he’s one of the nicest guys I know.

“He’s mad because I never told him about these friends and he still hasn’t met one of them. He’s mad because I left him to go help out a friend who, if left to his own devices, probably would have wound up getting hurt because he doesn’t think. He’s mad because I got a scholarship to finish up my final year at Dalton and I’m not at McKinley anymore.

“He’s mad because I’m actually friends with a boy who used to pursue him. He’s mad because I chose my friends over him.”

By the end of that rant, he was in tears, his sobs filling the room. It had been the first time he’d told anything exactly what had happened between himself and Blaine. Even Sebastian didn’t know and he wasn’t planning on telling his friend.

With Wes, it had all somehow come spilling out.

A pair of arms wrapped around him as Wes said, “I wish Blaine had told me all that. He just said that you were going to France with a boy he didn’t approve of.”

“Sebastian isn’t a bad guy,” Kurt whispered as he wiped his tears away. “Sure, he’s cocky and an asshole, but he looks out for me when I need him. You should’ve seen him when he scared me. He was scared that I never wanted to see him again.”

“What about Blaine?”

“I don’t… I think being away over the holidays will be good.”

“Do you want to head back? I’m sure that Sebastian kid is worried about you.”

Kurt just rolled his eyes as he said, “I think I’ll just head back to my dorm for the night. Could you tell him I wasn’t feeling good?”

As soon as he’d made the journey to his room, Kurt curled up under the covers of his bed, not bothering to remove more than his shoes and blazer. He felt so drained from both the fight he’d had with Blaine and breakdown he’d had in front of Wes.

The door opened, making him squeeze his eyes shut. He didn’t want to deal with Sebastian and the boy always had Thad or Trent to help him with Latin. He just wanted to be left alone and take a nap.

He heard Sebastian leaving the room again, making him sigh in relief.

**

A couple hours later, Kurt was woken up to the sound of music playing from a computer on the next bed over. He wanted to yell at Sebastian to turn the music off so he could sleep, but the voice he heard singing softly got his attention.

_When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around_   
_Those pretty faces always make you stand out in a crowd_   
_But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance is all it took_   
_Now it's much too late for me to take a second look_

_Oh baby, give me one more chance_   
_(To show you that I love you)_   
_Won't you please let me back in your heart_   
_Oh darlin', I was blind to let you go_   
_(Let you go, baby)_   
_But now since I've seen you it is on_   
_(I want you back)_   
_Oh I do now_   
_(I want you back)_   
_Ooh ooh baby_   
_(I want you back)_   
_Yeah yeah yeah yeah_   
_(I want you back)_   
_Na na na na_

Why was Sebastian singing a Jackson 5 song? Why did it sound like he was trying to not cry? Why did he want to go comfort Sebastian and promise him that everything would be okay?

Why would his mind not shut down so he could get back to sleep?


	17. Sixteen

“We’re done!” Sebastian shouted as they walked out towards the car.

Kurt couldn’t help the laugh that escaped through his lips. It was Friday and they’d just finished their last final, meaning they could now head to the airport. They’d already said their goodbyes to the rest of the Warblers – Kurt had promised Jeff a treat from Paris – as well as Sebastian’s father who they had dinner with Thursday night.

The half hour drive from Westerville to Columbus was spent singing and laughing along with the radio. Something told Kurt this would be a great trip and he wasn’t going to regret it. It wasn’t just the fact that he was going to be back doing something he loved either. He had a feeling that everything with Sebastian was going to be fun as well.

They ended up being two hours ahead of time – an hour and fifteen minutes after getting their bags checked in and going through security. Then there was the two hour plane ride to Newark, another wait of an hour, and finally the eight hour plane to Paris.

As soon as they set foot in Paris, Kurt was ready to pass out. It was only three in the morning and, even though he’d slept for most of the flight over the ocean, he was still extremely tired. Sebastian also looked dead on his feet, meaning they’d probably wind up passing out in Anna’s house once they’d made it there.

“Kurt. Sebastian.” Both boys turned to see Anna walking towards them with a smile on her face. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too,” Kurt responded, fighting off a yawn.

“How was your flight?”

Sebastian just grunted, shoving past Kurt, who smiled at the behavior. They went to get their luggage before going out to a cab that was waiting for them. The drive was silent as Kurt fought the urge to just pass out in the car. He saw that Sebastian already had, but he was determined to get to the house first.

“Kurt, I hope you don’t mind sharing a room with ‘Bastian,” Anna finally spoke. “I have an old friend who’s coming to stay as well. She had a boy a year older than you and ‘Bastian.”

“It’s fine. We’re sharing at Dalton so I’m probably more conditioned to putting up with Sebastian’s crap than someone else.” He didn’t want to mention the fact that Sebastian probably wouldn’t get along with Wes. That or they’d get along too well and Kurt didn’t want either of those. “Besides, I’ll be at the studio with you most of the time, right?”

“You’ll have plenty of time to go out with ‘Bastian.”

There was definitely a double meaning in her words that Kurt picked up. If there was someone who thought they were good together, it was Anna. She’d never said it out loud, but her actions spoke a lot louder than words ever could.

They eventually arrived at the house; Kurt grabbing the bags while Anna helped the barely awake Sebastian inside. He walked through the door, going straight to the only room he knew and finding Sebastian passed out on the bed again.

“Come on, Killer,” Kurt sighed, helping the boy out of his shirt. “At least go to bed in something that doesn’t smell like the inside of a plane.”

“I don’ wanna,” Sebastian muttered. “Jus wanna sleep.”

“How you can just sleep in your clothes? It’s disgusting and I’m not taking off your pants.”

“If I take off my pants, will you blow me?”

“And now he’s awake,” Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes as he went over to one of his bags and pulled out a pair of pajama pants. “I’ll be in the bathroom.”

“Awe, come on, Kurt,” Sebastian complained, getting up and following him as he opened a door only to find that it was the closet. “Bathroom’s on the other side.”

Kurt just scowled at the cocky attitude his friend had claimed. He yanked open the bathroom door and slammed it shut in Sebastian’s face.

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, Kurt knew that this was going to turn bad extremely fast. He was in France with Sebastian. He was in France with a boy he will admit he had more than friendly feelings for. He was in France with a boy who wanted to do more than just sleep in the same bed with him.

Why was this so hard?

Shaking his head, he turned away from the mirror and changed into his pajama pants, his shirt coming off but nothing replacing it. It was slightly chilly, making him shiver. He knew he would have to cuddle up with Sebastian if he wanted to stay warm while he slept. It was just going to be platonic cuddling, he assured himself. There was nothing wrong with sleeping curled up with a good friend.

Taking one last deep breath, Kurt mentally prepared himself to face Sebastian only to find that the boy had passed out on the bed once more, curled up under the covers. He shook his head with a smile playing on his lips before going over to the bed. He pulled the sheets over himself, noticing that Sebastian was dressed down to his boxers.

“Goodnight, Sebastian,” Kurt said with a smile as he lay his head on the pillow.

**

“Kurt. Kurt, wake up.”

Kurt groaned, rolling over and trying to go back to sleep. His whole body felt heavy and his head was all fuzzy, but not like when he was drinking. It also hurt, which was another reason he didn’t want to wake up.

“Kurt,” the voice called again, this time a prod to his side accompanied it. “I’m hungry.”

“Then go to the cafeteria,” Kurt snapped, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He looked around, suddenly remembering that they were in Paris, not back at Dalton. “Go make yourself something. I don’t care. Just let me sleep.”

“But I don’t cook as well as you do. And Maman’s in town for the rest of the day.”

“Suck it up.” Kurt’s lips were twisted in a scowl as he forced himself to get up. “And if I’m making you something to eat, I need advil or something for my head.”

He followed Sebastian into the kitchen, looking in the refrigerator. He wanted to know what he was working with to get Sebastian off his back. Deciding on omelets, he grabbed out everything he needed and turned around to see Sebastian with a cup of water and two small pills in his hand.

“You’re not drugging me, are you?” Kurt asked, surveying the tiny pills as he took them from the other boy. “Because I swear to whatever god is listening, Sebastian, I will send Celeste, Lucas, Max, Danielle, Olivia, Emily, the Warblers, and all the New Directions on your ass.”

“You think I’ve had time to go out and get something since we’ve been here? I just woke up and needed food.”

“You’re lucky I like you.” Kurt downed the pills, savoring the cold water as it ran down his throat. “You’d better be okay with omelets because I don’t have the patience to make anything else.”

“I don’t care. I just want food.”

The two boys spent the next half hour making the food and eating it. They both remained silent, neither one wanting to break the silence first. It was nice to just be in the same room without having to worry about school or Warblers or anyone else.

“So why were you sleeping in my bed?” Sebastian finally asked as he did the dishes. “Not that I’m complaining, but we have two guestrooms.”

“Anna said something about inviting a friend and her son for holidays.” Kurt was currently leaning with his back against the counter, arms folded. “It’s fine, we share a dorm back in Ohio and it’s not like we’ve never spent the night in the same bed before.”

Sebastian remained silent, which caught Kurt’s attention. The boy was only quiet when he saw something he liked and was trying to figure out the best way to obtain that something, when he was studying, or when he was eating. The silence wasn’t a normal thing and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Alright, spill. What’s on your mind?”

Sebastian turned towards the boy with a grin. “Well, we’re in France, just outside of Paris.” Kurt raised an eyebrow, silently telling him to stop stating the obvious. “No strings, just fun?”

“Sebastian, I have a-”

“What happens in Paris stays in Paris, remember?” Something was up. This wasn’t just about sex. This was something else. Kurt could tell. “Come on, Kurt. I’ve been good. I haven’t slept with anyone since September. I’ve even made sure I’m clean.”

Since September? Why did that month seem so familiar to Kurt? What had happened that he couldn’t remember?

“Blaine doesn’t have to know. He still thinks you’re a virgin, right?”

“Actually, no.”

“You told-?”

“I slept with him. After the…” It suddenly clicked. “West Side Story. You haven’t done anything since we saw each other at the Lima Bean when you were talking to Blaine.” Sebastian shifted uncomfortably. “You, the biggest putain, haven’t had sex since September? Not even a…”

“Use your big boy words, Gay Face.” Sebastian had the mask on that Kurt had worked so hard years ago to get rid of. “I haven’t even had a blow job since September. Why are you so shocked?”

“I-I just… I’m just… I think I’m going to call Celeste and see if she wants to meet up tomorrow.”

With that, Kurt took off like a bat out of hell to the bedroom where he grabbed his phone. He knew that Sebastian would be following him so he went into the bathroom and locked the door, taking a deep breath as he sat on the counter.

Time differences be damned, he was going to call Olivia if it was the last thing he did. Celeste would just tell him to not let Sebastian get to him, but Olivia… at least she would look at it with a critical eye before she gave him any advice.

_“This better be good.”_

“’Livia?”

_“It’s barely six, Kurt.”_

“I know, but I need… I need someone who will listen before telling me what to do.”

_“This has to do with him?”_

“He said something, but I don’t know what to do. I’m so confused, ‘Livie.”

_“What did he say? This better be good for waking me up on a day I’m out of school and off of work.”_

“You know how everything ended when summer was over last year? And we both went back to our normal lives?”

_“Where you moped around when you weren’t at school? How could I forget?”_

“He said that he hasn’t done anything since September. He… he…”

_“Why does it matter that he hasn’t done anything since September? Maybe he’s trying to be a normal human being and not have sex with anything that moves?”_

“Kurt,” Sebastian’s voice came through the door as he knocked on it. “We need to talk. Get off the phone with Celeste and come out so we can talk.”

_“Kurt?”_

Kurt took a deep breath and admitted, “September is when we met again. He was flirting with my boyfriend.”

_“Oh Kurt… And what now? He wants to sleep with you?”_

“Yeah. I mean, I have a boyfriend, but Sebastian’s just… I trust him, you know? He’s a jerk, but I know that I can trust him. Especially after the fights Blaine and I had recently.”

 _“I’d say give him a chance.”_ Kurt opened his mouth to speak, when she continued, _“I don’t mean sleep with him, but let him open up to you. Anna was telling me the other day that when Sebastian’s around you, he’s so much happier and outgoing.”_

“Thanks, ‘Livie.”

_“Now I’m going to go back to sleep and if you wake me up again, I’m going to fly to Paris and rip both your balls off.”_

With that, the phone went dead, leaving Kurt to listen to the banging on the door. Should he give Sebastian another chance? He didn’t think he could deal with the pain of losing him again. They were friends now and Sebastian didn’t like having friends so that was something.

“Look, let’s just forget about all this,” Sebastian said as Kurt walked out of the bathroom. “It was a mistake and-”

Kurt fell to his knees, unzipping Sebastian’s jeans. He looked up through his eyelashes as he pulled the jeans and boxers down, knowing he looked innocent like that and Sebastian enjoyed it as well.

“Fuck,” Sebastian hissed as Kurt’s tongue gave kitten licks to the underside of his cock. “Damn it, Kurt.”

The corners of Kurt’s lips quirked into a slight smile as he pulled away to take a deep breath, before his lips enclosed around the cock. His tongue brushed against the length before moving so the tip was touching the back of his throat. He hollowed out his cheeks, continuing to look up through his eyelashes in that extremely innocent way.

“So good.” Kurt pulled off, smirking at the groan he got in response. “No. Finish what you started.”

“No strings and no one ever finds out. Not even Celeste or the others.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now get back to work before I die from blue balls.”

“You’ve had blue balls since September,” Kurt teased, but moved back into place with Sebastian’s cock in his mouth.

Kurt continued to tease the boy until he finally took matters into his own hands. Feeling Sebastian’s fingers grip his hair – if it was anyone else, he would kill the person for touching him – taking charge and showing Kurt exactly what he wanted. He enjoyed the feel of being able to just make certain Sebastian felt good. It felt like the past two years hadn’t even happened.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Kurt braced himself at the warning, feeling the cock pulse in his mouth before tasting the saltiness as the cum slid down his throat. He couldn’t help but grin at Sebastian’s worn out look, the other boy falling onto the bed with a groan.

“Don’t look so pleased,” Sebastian muttered, noticing the look. “You look like a cat that caught the canary.”

“My canary died,” Kurt said with a shrug as he sat down on the bed. “Just before Regionals last year.” He raised an eyebrow. “What did you do with Papaccio?”

“Pawned it off on some Freshman for the holiday.” Sebastian pulled Kurt onto the bed with a lazy smile on his face. “I’m glad you decided to make the deal.”

“As long as I didn’t make one with the devil, I’m sure it will all work out.”


	18. Seventeen

The next couple of days passed by in a blur. When Kurt wasn’t in town with Anna at the office, he and Sebastian spent time wandering through Paris or getting drunk. They didn’t once mention Ohio besides when they’d gotten through all their holiday homework the first night there – completely to get it out of the way, not to help them forget – or when Kurt had called his dad to assure him that they’d gotten there safely.

Before the boys both knew it, it was Tuesday and that meant they were being forced to be the welcoming committee for Anna’s friend and her family. It wasn’t that Kurt didn’t want to meet Anna’s old friend, but when she’d given the last name of Montgomery, he’d started becoming anxious and seemed to be insisting that they only had so long to have sex before they had to find other places.

“Why did we have to do this?” Sebastian groaned as he leaned against the wall, staring at the board to figure out when the flight would be arriving. “Maman was fine picking us up. Why couldn’t she pick them up as well?”

“Celeste and Lucas are meeting us at the house with alcohol,” Kurt reminded him with a slight smile. “And Celeste promised the good stuff. So be patient.”

“Fine.”

People began coming off a plane, getting Kurt’s attention as he saw Wes’s familiar figure come out of the plane. He grinned and pushed away from the wall, hearing Sebastian groan as he followed. He knew that the other boy didn’t want to be there; Sebastian had only agreed to go because he’d volunteered himself.

He saw Wes’s surprised face, but walked over with a smile on his face. The two boys exchanged pleasantries while Wes looked over Kurt’s shoulder. It was obvious from the Asian’s expression that he wasn’t happy to see Sebastian as well.

“What are you doing here?” Wes asked.

“We’re here to pick you guys up,” Kurt answered with a smile. “Anna had to go into the office so we volunteered to be the welcoming committee.”

“Well, Kurt volunteered,” Sebastian spoke up. “I’m just here to make sure he doesn’t get lost. Again.”

“That was one time,” Kurt snapped, his cheeks feeling extremely hot in embarrassment. “And I was just at a bakery.”

“On the other side of town. While everyone was out searching for you.”

“And that’s our cue to go before I kill Sebastian and hide his body.”

They went out to a cab and all got in, Sebastian giving the address to the driver. Kurt played with his phone, sending a quick text to Celeste, telling her to be prepared for an annoyed Sebastian.

“When did you both get here?” Mr. Montgomery asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Friday, sir,” Kurt answered with a soft smile. “So far, I’ve only seen the office, a couple restaurants, and the house.”

“You’re the one who won’t leave the office,” Sebastian said with an eye roll. “It’s rather annoying when I want to go out and party.”

“No one said that you couldn’t.”

They arrived at the house to find Celeste and Lucas getting out of their car. They walked over as the Montgomery’s grabbed their luggage and Sebastian unlocked the door.

“’e’s been good to you, no?” Celeste asked, giving Kurt a concerned look.

“Always the mother hen,” Kurt teased with a smile as they hugged. “He’s been treating me fine. I think Anna’s trying to hook us up, though. I keep seeing these side glances whenever we’re all in the same room.”

They all went inside and got the tour, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery retiring to their room, while the younger group all sat around the dining room table with alcohol sitting on it. Celeste and Lucas were introduced as Kurt’s friends, though Wes knew from the names – Wes had been one of the few at Dalton who had found out about the internship the summer before.

“I told you they were bringing the good stuff,” Kurt said with a smile as he grabbed one of the bottles and surveyed it. “Russian?”

“Of course,” Celeste answered with a smile. “We wanted to see ‘ow you were with eet. Max said you couldn’t ‘old eet.”

“I’m not drinking it,” Kurt refused. “I can hold my liquor just fine, but I say crazy things when I get smashed and I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good friendship.”

“You’ve already ruined it,” Sebastian teased.

Kurt shot him a dirty look from across the table, when he suddenly felt a foot trailing up his leg and moving towards his crotch. He bit his lip, trying to fight the blush, as the foot placed pressure on his crotch, making him jerk in surprise.

“Are you okay?” Wes asked as Celeste tried to stifle a giggle.

“Fine,” Kurt muttered, reaching under and jabbing at Sebastian’s foot with his nails. “I think I’m going to grab something from the other room.”

“No work,” Celeste scolded.

“But…”

“You heard the lady,” Sebastian teased, taking a swig from the beer that was in front of him. “And I don’t know why you won’t do the Russian stuff. It was fun the last time.”

“Oh yes. Fun to wake up with tear tracks on my face and a friend who wouldn’t talk to me until I practically forced him to.” He put the bottle of Vodka down and stole Sebastian’s beer, receiving a glare that he just shrugged off. “And I promised Anna that I’d go in tomorrow to help with a dress so you can either come with me or spend the day moping around.”

“I don’t mope.”

Celeste just giggled before asking, “Zo, Kurt, what are ze sleeping arrangements?”

“Wes and his parents are in the spare bedrooms,” Kurt answered with a shrug. “Anna didn’t want me to share with a stranger so she told me I could sleep with Sebastian.” Celeste raised an eyebrow. “There’s a mattress on the ground and Sebastian knows that if anything happens, I’m sending you after him.”

“And Blaine?” Lucas finally spoke up for the first time since they’d arrived.

“We, uh, aren’t on speaking terms.”

“Their last fight was pretty intense,” Sebastian said, getting everyone’s attention. “We could hear it from downstairs and Kurt looked pretty angry.”

“Bon débarras,” Celeste said with a frown.

“Celeste,” Kurt snapped in annoyance. “I thought you liked that I have a boyfriend.”

“Eh bien, maintenant, je ne le fais pas. Simplement briser avec lui afin que vous puissiez obtenir avec l’homme putain.”

“Kurt?” Anna’s voice called through the house. “Bastian?”

“We’re in here,” Kurt called back. “Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery are in the guest room!”

“Great,” Anna said with a smile as she walked into the room. She reached over and took the newly opened beer bottle from her son, getting an indignant noise from him. “I’m glad to see you’re all making nice.”

“I actually know Wes already,” Kurt admitted, smiling brightly. “He was head of the Warblers last year.”

Anna nodded before going upstairs and taking the beer with her. Kurt couldn’t stifle the laugh from watching Sebastian glare at his mother, which turned the glare onto him.

**

“What are you planning to do for college?” Mrs. Montgomery asked, looking at both boys.

The group was currently all at a restaurant for dinner. Celeste and Lucas had left about an hour after Anna had arrived home, claiming they had plans already – Kurt knew they wanted to give the group some time to themselves – and promising a night out soon.

“I’m applying for fashion programs,” Kurt answered with a smile at Anna, who nodded in response.

“I was thinking of majoring in journalism,” Sebastian admitted with pink tinted cheeks. “I could always change my mind, but I like English classes.”

“And he has Clark Kent glasses,” Kurt teased, getting an annoyed look from the other boy. “You could be a fashion journalist.”

“Oh god no,” Sebastian groaned as Kurt and Anna both started laughing. “I have enough fashion in my life with Mom.”

“What are you going to school for, Wes?” Anna wondered.

“I attend Julliard. It’s not a logical choice, but I like it.”

“It fits you,” Kurt said with a smile at his friend. “You were chairman of the Warblers, first chair in Dalton’s orchestra, had straight A’s, spent your extra time painting…”

“How do you know all this?” Sebastian asked, flabbergasted.

Kurt just shrugged in response. People thought that his head was always up in the clouds with music and fashion, but he noticed little things. He noticed the things everyone seemed to ignore.

“Oh, Kurt, before I forget,” Anna said. “We won’t be needing your help in the shop tomorrow.” Kurt opened his mouth to argue. “You’ve been putting in too much time and you and ‘Bastian can show Wes around Paris. Maybe see if Celeste and Lucas can go with you?”

“We can exchange dirt on Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Everyone,” Sebastian taunted with a grin in Kurt’s direction. “My blackmail folder has been lacking on him.”

“Arc de Triomphe.”

That one phrase shut Sebastian’s mouth instantly as he glared at Kurt, who just grinned back. Two could play at the blackmail game and if Kurt happened to have some dirt on his friend, who could blame him?

“We could visit it, I mean,” Kurt continued, ignoring Sebastian’s glare. “I haven’t been there since Sebastian took me there. It was beautiful.”

As the two friends bickered, neither noticed Wes’s critical look. If they had, they would know that he had a guess of what was going on between them. If Kurt had seen, he could have put a stop to all the assumptions right there. If Kurt had seen, then what would happen soon could have been stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Bon débarras – Good Riddance  
> Eh bien, maintenant, je ne le fais pas. Simplement briser avec lui afin que vous puissiez obtenir avec l’homme putain. – Well, now I don’t. just break up with him so you can get together with the man whore.


	19. Eighteen

Kurt couldn’t stop the moan that came from his lips as someone planted kisses on his neck. He didn’t want to wake up, but he knew he had to some time. Especially with Wes there and the fact that Sebastian was kissing his neck…

“Get off,” Kurt groaned, shoving the other boy away. “Why are you so happy today?”

“Think we can get away with a quickie without your friend next door realizing what’s happening?”

“Fuck,” Kurt muttered, sitting up. “No, we’re not doing anything while Wes is next door.” He leaned over and began to bite Sebastian’s neck. “But when he goes out with his parents tonight, we can do something.”

“Well how about we ditch him and we can go to Café de Flore?”

“We promised Anna we’d take him sightseeing.”

“Again, you promised my mom. I didn’t say shit about going anywhere today.”

Kurt shrugged as he stood up and said, “I guess you don’t want to save water by sharing a shower?”

That got Sebastian’s attention. Kurt watched with a smirk as the boy jumped up and ran to lock the door. He laughed as he was grabbed by the hand and pulled into the bathroom.

As soon as they were both naked, Sebastian grabbed Kurt and pressed him against the counter, scraping his teeth against the shorter boy’s collarbone. This was dangerous and Wes could hear them, but Kurt could barely care to keep his moans to himself.

“You know,” Kurt muttered, fending Sebastian off. “Showers tend to include the actual shower. And water. And less teeth.”

Sebastian just rolled his eyes and turned the water on, letting it get warm as he continued to mark Kurt’s collarbone up. Even though Kurt was annoyed, even he couldn’t admit that he didn’t want it. It felt so good to feel Sebastian flush against him.

“Someone might here us,” Kurt gasped out.

“For god’s sake,” Sebastian snapped, turning on the radio that was on the radio. “Better?”

“I don’t…”

“Damn it, Kurt.” Sebastian pulled him into the shower, grabbing a cloth to wash himself. “Fine, we’ll stop.”

Kurt sighed and grabbed the shampoo, scrubbing it into his hair. Sebastian had no idea how much he wanted to do things, but he didn’t want to risk it with Wes around. Wes was just getting to know Sebastian and, as far as he was aware, Kurt and Blaine were still together.

They got out of the shower, neither boy saying anything as they dried off and got dressed. The silence was tense and stressed as Kurt grabbed his bag and shoes, deciding to go put them on before leaving.

“Hey, Anna,” Kurt said with a grimace on his face. “Do you mind driving Wes and I into town today? Sebastian’s decided he doesn’t want to go out today.”

“Oh?”

“Kurt doesn’t want me there,” Sebastian said with a scowl as he leaned against the counter.

“Who said I didn’t want you there? I just said that I wanted to shower and you took that-” Wes chose then to walk in. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter. I think I’m going to call Celeste and see if I can stay with her the rest of the holiday.”

“What’s going on in here?” Mrs. Montgomery asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“Just a lover’s spat.” Kurt and Sebastian stared at Anna in shock. There was no way she just outted their relationship. “They’ll be fine by tonight.”

“We… we aren’t… it’s not…”

“We’re not dating,” Sebastian snapped. “I don’t know why I’d ever date someone like Princess.”

“Like I’d ever date a stuck up possessive idiot.”

“You are. It’s Anderson. Or did you forget what he did to you?”

Kurt couldn’t even bring himself to look at the boy as he ran upstairs, slamming the door and locking it. He fell onto the bed before screaming into the pillow. Sebastian could be so infuriating at times, especially when he didn’t get what he wanted. Kurt could too, but he would never act like that in front of guests. He would never slut shame Sebastian in front of anyone.

He didn’t know how long he lay there in silence before there was a knock on the door. Okay, so maybe it was more of a pounding and there was yelling in French. Celeste was definitely there and she definitely didn’t sound happy. He wondered who had called her – it was probably Anna.

“Kurt Hummel, vous ouvrez cette porte dès maintenant!”

Kurt scowled and got open, unlocking the door before going back to the bed. The blond marched into the room and grabbed him by the ear, pulling him out. He shouted at her the entire way down the stairs until they were in the dining room with Sebastian and Lucas.

“Anna called,” Celeste stated with a frown.

“Sebastian’s just mad because I didn’t want to have shower sex,” Kurt snapped. “Wes is in the room over. As far as he’s aware, Blaine and I are still together.”

“You are not still togezer?”

“I haven’t talked to him since I transferred to Dalton,” he admitted with a frown. “I was going to break up with him when we got back, but… I don’t know. I don’t like what he did and I don’t like that he… but-”

“Don’t you dare try to ignore what he did at Scandals.” Everyone looked at Sebastian before the French couple turned to look at Kurt. “I know I’m a jerk and I don’t think before I act, but I l-”

“We made that agreement,” Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I know. But I don’t want a fuck buddy anymore, Sebastian. I want someone who wants me for who I am. I want someone who doesn’t want to change me, but will be there for me when I need them.”

Sebastian took a deep breath and stood up, saying, “I’m going to meet my mom for lunch. I’ll see you when I get back.”

As soon as he was gone, Kurt groaned and banged his head on the table. He didn’t want to end the conversation like that, but he didn’t know how to tell Sebastian. He didn’t know how to explain that the person he wanted with the same one he was spending the holiday with. The same one who had introduced him to everything good in his life.

“I hate him,” Kurt mumbled from where his forehead and nose lay pressed against the table. “No, I hate me. I’m an idiot and I need to stop falling for the wrong kind of person. Sebastian doesn’t want a relationship and Blaine wants to change who I am, which I won’t do.”

“ ‘ave you talked about eet?” Celeste questioned.

“No. He’s always said that he doesn’t do relationships, which is fine. I mean, it was fine all through that summer. I don’t know. None of this makes any sense. Maybe I should just go back to the states for Christmas.”

“No.” He stared at Celeste in shock. “Anna invited you from ze goodness of ‘er heart. You will stay and be nice with Sebastian.”

Kurt couldn’t help the roll of his eyes before asking, “Will you both at least come with me to Black Calavados tonight?”

“Wee.”

Kurt couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips. Even if he was fighting with Sebastian, he could have a fun night out with Celeste and Lucas. He could forget about everything even if was for just one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS:  
> Kurt Hummel, vous ouvrez cette porte dès maintenant! – Kurt Hummel, you open this door right now!


	20. Nineteen

“Why are we here?” Kurt scowled, as they stood bundled up outside a building with a bright sign. “You know I hate this place.”

They were currently at the same karaoke bar they had been in when Kurt was almost molested. To say that Kurt wasn’t happy about it was an understatement. He had sworn to never step foot in that place again no matter what. Celeste and Lucas knew that he hated that place so he couldn’t understand why they had brought him there.

“Allons-y,” Celeste said, smiling as she pulled him through the door.

Kurt and Celeste found a seat while Lucas went to get some drinks. They sat, watching the locals sing as they discussed trivial things. Nothing really mattered at the moment and everything about Lima and Sebastian was the furthest thing from Kurt’s mind.

“Bonjour.” Kurt’s eyes widened as he saw Sebastian standing up on the stage. “This is dedicated to someone I was an ass to. I hope he can forgive me.”

As the beginning chords of the song began playing, Kurt’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked to see Blaine’s name flashing. He took a deep breath and walked out of the bar, not chancing to look back at his friend on the stage.

“Hello?” He was trying so hard not to cry. Trying so hard to keep his voice level.

_“Kurt?”_

“What do you want, Blaine?”

_“Wes called. He said that you were cheating on me.”_

“First of all, I haven’t done anything of the sort. Second, you told me to pick between you and my friends. Finally, you have no say in what I do.”

_“You were leaving me to go help some stranger.”_

“You know what, Blaine? I know him so much better than I know you. I know his favorite food. He doesn’t like showing how much he cares, but he has a heart that’s bigger than anyone else I know. He loves to cuddle and he gets horny when he’s drunk, but he would never do anything without the other person giving consent. He wants to be a journalist, but his dad doesn’t approve. He would never let anyone see, but his guilty pleasure is that he’s designed some of the most amazing dresses I’ve ever seen. So don’t tell me that he’s some stranger.”

_“Kurt-”_

“I don’t want you to call me anymore, Blaine. We’ll talk when I get back, but as far as we’re concerned, we’re not dating over the holidays. Do whatever you want with that.”

_“Don’t do this. I’m-”_

“Goodbye, Blaine.”

Hanging up, Kurt sighed and leaned against the alley wall, trying to catch his thoughts. He couldn’t believe that Wes had told Blaine that he was cheating. He couldn’t believe that Blaine had the audacity to call and accuse him of anything.

The sound of a trash bin being knocked over reached his ears as his eyes snapped open. He saw Sebastian running the opposite way, which got his attention.

“Sebastian!” he called, running after the other boy. “Sebastian, wait!”

He stopped running as soon as he reached the corner of the street. A crash of thunder sounded and the rain began falling as Kurt stared at the crowd Sebastian had disappeared through. Tears slid down his cheeks, something he didn’t mind at the moment.

Sebastian had heard him talking to Blaine. Sebastian had seen him walking out while he was trying to apologize. He had ignored Sebastian who he cared deeply for to talk to his probably soon to be ex.

Instead of going back into the bar, he began walking. He didn’t care that he was getting drenched, had no coat, and very little money on him. He didn’t care that he had no idea of where he was going.

As soon as he looked up at a sign, he knew that the office was just around the corner if he wanted to go find Anna – she was probably still working. He couldn’t go there, though. He wouldn’t go back and force Sebastian to sit and talk things out. Sebastian needed space and he would give it.

He continued walking until he was exhausted. He slumped down on the ground, burying his head in his hands. He didn’t care if he was on some person’s steps or on some private property. Nothing mattered anymore, especially since he’s lost one of the only people who knew the real Kurt Hummel – not the outgoing musician who loved Broadway, but the shy, scared boy who felt he had to be strong for everyone even if it hurt him.

“Kurt!” He didn’t look up at his name being called. “Kurt! Come on, Princess!” There was silence as he waited for Sebastian to go. He didn’t want to deal with anyone. “Fuck, Kurt.” A jacket was wrapped around his shoulders before a pair of strong hands tried to lift him up. “What the hell are you thinking?”

“Go away, Sebastian,” Kurt muttered.

“I’m trying to help so give me a break and get your ass off the ground.”

“Leave me alone. I don’t want your help.” He didn’t mean for his voice to be so harsh. “I don’t want anyone’s help.”

“Well, boo fucking hoo. I don’t want your dad getting pissed off at me because you went and got pneumonia.”

Sighing, Kurt let himself be led to a car. He slid into the seat and sat, staring at the ground the entire ride. He didn’t want to be helped, but Sebastian had been right. His dad would be upset and worried and he had pneumonia while he was in Paris.

As soon they got to the house, Anna came running out with a concerned look on her face. She fussed over him as they went inside and got him into a change of clothes with a towel to dry his hair.

“What were you thinking?” Anna demanded. “You had all of us worried, especially after you disappeared from the club. Celeste called to see if you and Sebastian had ended up leaving together.”

“He hates me,” Kurt muttered. “He hates me and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t know how to fix any of it.”

“Who hates you, sweetheart?”

“Sebastian. He heard me talking to Blaine, but he… he left before I could explain.”

He was pulled into her embrace before he completely broke down. The woman let him cling to her, just rubbing his back to calm him down. All the crying was getting him down and he didn’t need it. Not to mention Anna Smythe of all people was comforting him.

The next few days were spent tiptoeing around the house. Kurt had decided to take the couch instead of sleeping in Sebastian’s room so he could give the boy space. Wes had offered up his room, but he didn’t feel right taking it. Then there was Celeste and Lucas, who refused to let him stay with them. Instead, he spent every waking moment at the shop or holed up in Anna’s office she was letting him use.

“Hey, Kurt?” He ignored Sebastian’s voice from where the boy was standing in the doorway of the home office. “Maman wants you downstairs for presents.”

Standing up, Kurt followed Sebastian downstairs where the rest of the occupants of the house were. He sat next to Wes, about as far away from Sebastian as he could manage. He wasn’t really in the holiday mood, but he would pretend to be until Anna let him hide away for the rest of the night.

Anna had explained the day before that on Christmas Eve, they would always open up their presents from each other. It was a tradition that her family always had and she’d enforced it upon Sebastian’s childhood as well.

“Kurt, these are from me,” Anna told him with a smile as she handed him two envelopes.

The first one was huge and his eyes bulged as he stared at the return address. It was from Parsons in New York. There was no way Anna could have gotten a hold of it so early. Acceptance letters didn’t even come out until March.

As he held his breath, he opened it and pulled out the first letter, only reading the first couple lines.

_Dear Mr. Kurt Hummel,_   
_We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted at Parsons in the upcoming fall semester._

“How did-?”

“I have a friend at Parsons who was able to arrange this.” He grinned and hugged her tightly before sitting back down. “And now for the other one?”

He opened the second letter, unsure of how anything could top his acceptance to Parsons. As he opened the letter, he glanced to see Sebastian staring down at the package in his lap. It was the present Kurt had gotten him and it actually looked a lot bigger than it really was.

As soon as he opened the single page, his eyes skimmed over it. He reread it about five times before he looked up to see Anna studying his face.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“If you and Sebastian would be willing to put up with each other, Richard and I would be willing to pay for an apartment for you boys.”

“That’s too much,” he refused, shaking his head. “You’ve already done too much for me already, Anna.”

“Nonsense,” Richard spoke up. “You’re part of the family, Kurt. And you’re able to keep our son under control.”

Kurt snorted with laughter as Sebastian looked offended and said, “Aren’t you both supposed to be on my side?”

“I don’t think anyone can control Sebastian.”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Sebastian agreed with Kurt’s statement. “Now can I open my present from you or should I give it back since we’re not speaking anymore?”

Rolling his eyes, Kurt put his own presents aside. He watched as Sebastian pulled off the bow and unwrapped the package. The first thing the boy pulled out was a velvet-covered sketchbook. He set it gently to the side before pulling out a photo album with the pictures Kurt had found when he’d knocked over the picture frame.

“I thought I said-”

“It was the girls.”

He watched as Sebastian put the box off to the side when he noticed something else sitting in the box. He smirked as he pulled out the leather bracelet and said, “I knew you took it, thief.”

“I wouldn’t say I stole it. And I actually found it at the same shop you bought the original from.”

“You stole it. It was on the dresser the last night you were in town and when we left, it was gone. You were the only one in that room and you were wearing it when we all went out.”

Kurt stood up, taking his things with him as he said, “Sorry, Anna.”

Going into the bedroom, he tossed the presents on top of his suitcase before sitting on the bed. He stared at his hands, not looking up as the door opened. He knew it was Sebastian, though he didn’t know why he was up there.

“Hey, I’m… sorry.” He looked up at Sebastian, a frown on his face. “I’m a dick and I’ve been trying to not be as big of one, but… Dammit, Kurt. I’m trying. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“About what?”

“Just come on. We’re going out.” He raised an eyebrow in question. Going out was normally not a good idea when it came to Sebastian. “We’ll be back later. I just want to show you something.”

As Kurt grabbed his coat, he let out a loud sigh. He was not looking forward to this in the slightest. If he knew Sebastian – boy did he know him – they were going clubbing or to get drunk.

“At least tell me which club we’re going to,” he stated as they got into the car.

“Nope. It’s a surprise.”

“Sebastian…”

“Just shut up and you’ll see where we’re going.”

Kurt sat back in a huff, letting the silence wash over him. He could hear Sebastian singing under his breath as they drove, but he couldn’t tell what it was or bring himself to call him out on it.

Suddenly, it clicked what song Sebastian was singing. He smiled and began softly singing the chorus.

_Listen to your heart_   
_When he’s calling for you_   
_Listen to your heart_   
_There’s nothing else you can do_   
_I don’t know where you’re going_   
_And I don’t know why_   
_Listen to your heart_   
_Before you tell him goodbye_

Sebastian glanced over in surprise, though his smile appeared, making Kurt’s stomach twist into knots. He turned back to the road, his eyes widening in fear as -

“SEBASTIAN, LOOK OUT!”


End file.
